Incense (prayer)...
[Exodus 30:1-9]



And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne Rev 8:3

And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. Exo 30:6

This verse from the sacred Torah is God's direction to Moses where to put the Altar of incense. The incense Altar was to go directly in front of the mercy seat much the same way we stand in front of the throne of grace when we pray.

and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations. Exo 30:8

A regular incense offering means constant prayer to us. The Holy Spirit revealed this to me a while back. It has slowly began to impress itself into my conscience. My fault. God wanted me to understand this a couple of months ago; but the urge grew slowly(undoubtedly my fault). God has drawn my best friend and I into a new revival in our prayer life. Not only that, he is already answering our prayers in ways that can't be denied. We got the first confirmation today. God is stirring up people's hearts for prayer! I got the second confirmation tonight. I love you Lord! Halleluia (it is also spelled by some Hallelujah:inside joke to a friend; )

Bondage and Promise...
[Galatians 4:21-31]



This is one of the best shots against legalism you can find in Paul's writings. He basically recounts the story of Ishmael and Issac. Ishmael is born into bondage entirely by human effort. Issac's birth is somewhat miraculous considering the age of Abraham and Sarah. God promised Issac to Sarah. God really does like to perform miracles! In miracles, we can't just disclaim God's part unless we are being disingenuous or just willfully ignorant. Issac's birth was miraculous; but no more miraculous than the Gospel it represents. Paul divulges that the allegory shows that bondage to the law will inevitably lead to a casting away:

You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. Galatians 5:4

The story is very interesting. You can read it in Genesis 21:8-21. Notice the parallels.

Ishmael mocks Issac. The early Jerusalem Church was persecuted vehemently by the Jews. Abraham and Sarah(being one in marraige, representing two emotions of God)are typical. Sarah wants justice, Abraham wants mercy...He loves Ishmael just as God loves Israel[v. 11]. He's told by God to cast her away. It's interesting that in the very next chapter, chapter 22:2, God refers to Issac as Abraham's ONLY son. A familiar theme if you recall Jesus' words to the pharisees, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works that Abraham did." Hagar's water eventually depletes and she accepts the fact that her son will die. But he doesn't...

There are also prophetic overtones in Ishmael's deliverance. There is no water. When the lad cries unto God, God OPENS HAGAR'S EYES and she sees a well of water.

The day will come when Israel's eyes are opened and they will know their Messaiah. Maybe this will happen when their children cry unto God.

Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob" Romans 11:25-6

Reclaiming the Ark...
[2 Samuel 6:6-22]



So the story goes something like this: While carrying the Ark back to Jerusalem, Uzzah tries to steady the Ark when some oxen stumble. Only the levitical priests were allowed to touch the Ark. This was a fatal BOO-BOO. God struck Uzzah dead. Verse 8 says that David was angry because of the Lord's wrath. Hummn. Out of Fear, David decides to leave the Ark in the home of Obed-Edom. Over the next few months, Obed-Edom's home is greatly blessed because of the presence of the Ark. David, wanting to funnel those blessings on Israel as a whole, decides to go back and take the Ark again and bring it to Jerusalem. As they enter the city, David dances in praise to the Lord and promises his spiteful wife that he will "become even more undignified than this."

I was carrying my Ark proudly during one point in my life. Then something very tragic happened that I really didn't understand. I too, like David, became angry with God. My options? Continue to pray to God with bitterness in my heart, or stop pretending and just pout, cease to pray. I left my Ark in a stranger's home. I was miserable while all my Christian Obed-Edom friends continued to enjoy their relationship with God. As I watched Roy and others relish the spiritual blessings of intimacy with God, I was moved with envy. I realized that I could just not have joy until I decided to reclaim my Ark. Envy? It's not what we consider an admirable emotion, but it would later transform itself into a pure desire to become what I was made to be. My life became even more undignified than it was before and it will become even more undignified than this.

Caaninites?



Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you." Judges 2:1-3

I don't want to leave any Caaninites in my life. What implications does this scripture have for us? Well, I was brought out of Egypt about seven years ago. I'm truly thankful that the Lord has promised not to break his covenant with me, but it should be disturbing to any Christian to know that if we "make covenants with the inhabitants of the land," that God assures us he will NOT drive them out before us. This is why Jesus told us to cut off our hand if it offends us. Why do we expect God to miraculously cure us of certain sin, but allow ourselves into compermising situations that make us vulnerable to sin? This is not cutting off the hand. When we allow certain things in our life that we know hinder us, they become thorns in our sides. When we do all things necessary to "break down the altars," God's power and grace flows through us in a supernatural way that we can't explain.

Entertainment of thoughts is one example. A year or two ago, I was counseling someone in my small group and used this scripture:

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ... 2 Corinthians 10:5

Later that night, actually it could have been later that week, a dear Christian Lady(who happens to my best friend) gave me her take on that verse because it had been an important verse to her in her walk. She's far more descriptive than I am, so I'll paraphrase what she told me. She compared the battlefeild of the mind to a host at a party. When a guest of the baser sort arrives, the host has some options. The host can say that it is ok for the sorted charecter to stay as long as they don't cause a problem. On the Other hand, the host can simply grab the unwanted guest by the seat of the pants and throw them out the door. If the former is observed, the guest will eventually cause problems and become a thorn in the side, all the while making it more difficult to get rid of him. Sure it's possible to gain victory, but it is far more difficult than if the latter option had been taken. If the latter option is observed and the worm is promptly tossed out, then that joker had absolutly no effect on the party. In a moment's time, he will have been forgoten and the host will have no consequences of broken glasses, destroyed furniture or offended friends. The host can face the rest of her guests with no shame or nothing she has to apologize for.

I wrote this in my study notes on e-sword for Genises 1:3



The first words spoken by God were' "Let there be light." Compare with John 1:4. Note that it was not until the 4th day that God created the sun, moon and stars. His light was present before; maybe physically, maybe spiritually or maybe both. John 1:9 states that the TRUE light lights every one who comes into the world. If Christ is the true light, then we must regard physical light as only reflective of God's light. See John 12:35-6. The light spoken of in verse 3 is not the sun, moon or stars. It is the revelation of God to the world. Christ is mankind's experience of God. This doesn't mean that Christ was created in verse three. It means that the function of his nature within the God head is to begin here. Christ is man's divine introduction to the express image of God where otherwise God could not be experienced. John 1:18 says that no one has seen God at any time, the only begotten of the father has declared him. We know that many saw God. Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Moses etc. They saw Christ. This happened because of God's commandment in verse 3: "Let there be Light"
This is proved in the last chapter of the Bible.

And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Rev. 22:5

Carved Images...

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Exodus 20:4

And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." Numbers 21:8

What?!! Why would the Lord command Moses to do something that was in direct conflict with his own Word? We know that's just not possible! There could be a couple of possible explanations for this. In the Exodus scripture, the prepositional phrase "for yourself" could be of some importance. Could it be that we are not supposed to build things for ourselves; and we can when God tells us to? Possible. It would also be helpful to put this in context with verse 5 of Exodus 20.

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me...

Its obvious that the commandment in verse 4 would be specific to idols. Otherwise, the carvings of the cherubims on the Ark of the Covenant (anything that is heaven above..) would also be contradictory instruction from God. What else would be abominations to God? Children's toys, nativity scenes at Christmas, crucifix necklaces, and fish emblems on cars.

The serpent lifted up in the wilderness was not to be an object of worship. It wasn't faith in the brass serpent that healed the Israelites, it was faith in God's commandment and obedience to his instruction. In fact, the fiery serpent stayed with the children of Israel until the day they decided to use it for a purpose God never intended it to be used for..

He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it... 2 Kings 18:4

Hezekaiah wasn't being sacrilegious to destroy the serpent God had commanded Moses to fashion and had used to heal the Israelites. Hezekaiah destroyed the serpent for the same reason God buried Moses in a place where no one would ever find him, the same reason Noah's Ark has never been found, the same reason the ark of the Covanent mysteriously disappeared somewhere between the time of David and Christ's ministry on earth, and the same reason that angels told humans to not worship them every time they attempted to do so.

"You shall have no other gods before me!" Exodus 20:3

There is nothing wrong with the works of your hands. In fact the Lord is pleased with those who work diligently. The problem comes when the works of our hands become our gods. We forget about God, we neglect our families, and we adapt worldly attitudes closing our eyes and ears to the face and voice of God. This is also possible in ministry. There are many different ministries in the Lord's service, but Jesus is the focal point of all ministry. When the ministry becomes more important to us than Jesus, it's no longer a ministry. It's a fiery serpent that no longer has the power to heal.

Where is your faith?



Luke 8:22-5

One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?"

Raging storms will always arise on our lives. It is at these times, the Lord is helping us find our faith. Why else does he ask us where our faith is at unless he wanted us to consider that? What did we do with our faith? It seems that sometimes I have to learn the same lesson over and over again. Hence a new cycle of storms. The Lord wishes that one of those times that we have to rediscover our faith, we'll keep it in a place where we know that we will not loose it again; thereby breaking the cycle of storms.

Jesus said all that was necessary in verse 22: "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." In that instant, the disciples should have known that they were going to make it no matter what would befall them on the way. When the Lord tells us to do something, in that instant, we should know that we're going to make it. Whatever trouble will befall us along the way is negligable to God. Even in matters when after the initial call, we hear nothing else from the Lord; matters where it seems that the Lord is asleep (verse 23). We think that because the Lord spoke to us and we were obedient, that he owes it to us to continue to speak.

After all of this comes the storm! The disciples (although their Lord told them that they were to go to the other side of the lake) were absolutly sure they were going to perish (verse 24). Where was their faith? Where is my faith every time that I obey the Holy Spirit and afterward doubt or fear? Where is the christian's faith every time we have the oppertunity to help the less fortunate but can't because we are afraid that we will not be able to pay a bill? Where is our faith every time that we are led to do something the world sees as crazy, and we opt for the more stable and socially acceptable? Where is our faith?!!

Once Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples glorified him; "what kind of man is this?" They acknowledged the awesome power of the great I AM, only to doubt him again countless times afterward; the same thing that we do constantly 2000 years later.

All it takes is one time. Let's make it the next time. The next time that we refind our faith, lets put it in front of us and not take our eyes off of it. Lets make a covenant to never misplace it again.

John (not the Apostle)

When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Exodus 3:4



Why did God wait until Moses turned aside to see the bush before he called out to him?

You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD... Jeremiah 29:13-4

There will always come a time in our lives that we see the burning bush. We have to decide if it's important enough to stop and investigate. Some of us are too busy to stop. Some see nothing that could tangibly benefit them in the bush. Some find it alluring and decide that they'll check the bush out sometime in the future when it is more convenient for them. Others forget about their herd and their responsibilities to their Father-in-Law, and go strait to that bush thirsting for something that Canaan, Egypt, Jethro and the beauty of pyramids could never satisfy. It is these people that the Lord calls; and when the Lord calls, they answer, "here am I."