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Monday, April 30, 2012

Peter's Denial

     Jesus Arrested:

Earlier Jesus told peter that before the Rooster Crows twice you will have denied me three times. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and Peter were the only two disciples on record as having come with Jesus to his trial events. John was well known to the high priest, probably because he stuck with Jesus like white on rice and became inseparable from Him. So after John had made some connections he went out and spoke to the doorman and had Peter let inside the courtyard. John is not with Peter during the following events, so it can be assumed that he is very near Jesus.
Peter, also, being let in my John could have been with John near Jesus, but he was scared of what was happening. Peter was all ready to die with Jesus earlier today, but now he is scared. Why? I think I can tell you. Wrath, anger, hate, violence, they are all powerful emotions. With the adrenaline of the moment, in a battle or fight, you can do nearly superhuman things. There are stories of people even lifting a car off of victim of an accident, such as this one:

     The Fight Is On!

But I have found in the past that when two people are fighting in the heat of a moment, a soft answer really does turn away wrath. As I separated two men recently who were in a fight and stood as Peace Keeper between them, the Spirit of Grace on me cooled the situation. Jesus operated in that same Spirit of Grace when He stopped Peter from doing more harm, after Peter had cut off the servants ear. In fact, I doubt Peter was aiming at the mans ear, Peter was a fisherman, not a soldier, and likely missed.

In Peter's mind dying with Jesus was likely a sword fight to the death against the soldiers of Rome as they tried to free the country from Roman oppression. He had this idea of a battle coming that he would fight. He saw the battle coming with this gang of malcontents coming with clubs, swords, and torches. Here was the battle he had promised to fight for Jesus... except... Jesus didn't see it that way. He tried to tell Peter earlier, that it wasn't going to play out that way, but Peter gave it the old College Try. When Jesus said: "I AM" the whole crowd fell over. 

Now the word used here for Roman Detachment is the Greek: Speira (a Band off Group), and could have even been a Vexillatio (an ad hoc group of soldiers used to put down rebellions or emergencies, much like a swat team today. There is no number recorded in scriptures so we are left to make assumptions as to the size of this group. But seeing how much the Priests feared and hated Jesus, and their reaction after His death to guard the tomb, I suspect that they sent the largest group they could gather. Sources say this group could have been between 500-1500 soldiers. The Romans did participate with the Jewish Priests as leaders of the land. By getting co-operation from accepted leaders, the Roman occupations were much easier to manage. 

They came with swords and clubs and torches. This was a not a peaceful group. They came prepared to kill the disciples and take Jesus by force if they had to. They were not prepared for the Jesus who would surrender so willingly. People had tried to take Jesus before and He walked through the crowd as though they weren't there. Jesus was known to have 12 full time disciples, 70 part time missionaries, and 100's of followers at any given time. This could have been an undertaking. This was the Passover weekend. This was a time for people to gather. Surely Jesus would have been gathered with large crowds. 

They did not realize that He would go on His terms, and they were ready to try to force Him. They came with force because they thought they would need it. Had they known it was His PLAN to die at this time, they could have sent one little child and He would have gone. 

So this group which could have numbered in the 100's or higher all fell down at the words "I AM". I've experienced this phenomena in the positive. In meetings where the Anointing of Jesus is running hot I've seen whole groups fall down, even become semi or wholly unconscious instantly. God's presence is not a thing to be trifled with. I imagine that when Satan was cast out of Heaven it had nothing to do with fellow angels fighting him. Jesus tells us that he fell like lightening. I imagine God the Father moved one finger and WHAM! Those fallen fell like lightening form heaven. There is NONE like the LORD!

     Peters Denial

I digress, so back to Peter. Peter had this battle image in his mind, ready to die for Jesus to take back Israel from Rome. The soldiers/mob had their minds set on a battle and taking by force. Jesus' Anointing of Peace came in and put a stop to both sides of that battle. Tempers and emotions were running hot. He put a stop to Peter's aggression by telling correcting him in from of everyone and cleaning up his mess. He put a stop to the mob's aggression with "I AM" and knocked them over in the power of the Spirit. 

That is the background to this event. Peter is here now... in a courtyard. The battle images have been dashed and he sits here among the people. He is disappointed in Jesus, that's why he's not with John. He doesn't understand why this is happening. This wasn't the plan he had in mind. He was there in support, and curiosity, but this wasn't the idea. Now he has surrounded himself with a crowd to blend in. He was already wrong about the battle to come. He already had been disillusioned once today. He wouldn't stand by Jesus like John was, buy he still wanted to be here, find out what was going to happen. 

So Peter, full of doubt now, and fear, stood by the fire warming himself. It was a cold night. People don't warm themselves by the fire on a warm night. That means people were huddling, pushing, crowding near the fires. Lot's of people in close proximity and fire to light the faces of the crowd. People were talking about what was happening. Many there at the fire had most likely been there in that crowd that arrested Jesus. Most of them were probably in the other arena though, too interested in the man arrested to pay attention to this little man of no interest. So here sat Peter, among the people who hated him. When we allow depression and disillusionment steal our joy and faith we eventually find ourselves sitting among the enemy's people.

Peter had removed himself. He was alone, isolated. He disengaged in the process. John was there. John wasn't sitting with Peter. We find John there, with the women, at the foot of the cross. John was the only disciple to stand by Jesus the whole time. This is because he had such a deep revelation of Jesus' Love for him. He was there at the cross to take possession and care of Jesus' earthly mother. 

There was however one the high priests' servant girls was there. How dare the high priest have a servant girl. He is there to serve the people, not be served! Nevertheless he had servants. This girl was a curious and nosy little one. She was sitting there, in the light of the fire, staring at Peter intently. She was staring at him, studying his face. She said "You were with Jesus!" He denied it, then he got up and walked out onto the porch. 

She followed him. So people left him alone for awhile... but there is that girl staring at him. Probably talking to others that she knows. She finds a relative of the man who had his ear cut off by Peter who was also in the crowd that arrested Jesus. She said it was him, he denied, people were too interested in their fire to care. She would not let this go. She was intent on proving she was right. So she and this relative sat there are stared at him from a distance. The shadows of the fire danced over all their faces. They may have even been staring from behind in the shadows so as not to be noticed. Peter, so overwhelmed with shock and grief did not notice them. Now another girl, the relative of the man who had his ear cut off stand up and says: "You were with Jesus, this man was with Jesus!" He denied this again and the rooster crowd the first time.

The crowd probably hushed the girls, women were not given much importance in this society, so they probably hushed them. But now people are thinking about him. An hour passed. Peter stood quietly by the fire. Finally at the insistence of this little girl another person has been thinking about it. Peter's accent was that of a Galilean. "Surely, you are a Galilean, you must be one of His. Peter cursed and swore that he wasn't! The rooster crowd the second time... 

Jesus looked over to Peter and gave him that look of Love. It wasn't a mocking look. It wasn't "I told you so sucker!" Jesus had Peter on His mind even now. In the middle of his own beating, Jesus turned his attention to Peter as if to say: Peter, I told you before so that you'd know I knew. It's done. I am going through with my plan. Peter is so confused by the whole event, and now he's sad that he denied Jesus just like He said! Peter leaves and weeps. 

     Redemption!

The next time we see Peter he is still doubting the girls testimony about Jesus raising from the dead, but he and John are the first ones to the cave. This time is was John who stopped at the entrance to the tomb, and Peter who ran all the way in! Peter denies Jesus three times and later Jesus restores Peter by asking him THREE times, to "LOVE MY SHEEP!" and Peter spends the rest of his life LOVING Jesus' sheep walking in that redemption. 

     The Lesson:

There are times in life that we find ourselves disillusioned. We find that the dream we had planned wasn't God's dream. He had different plans. These times can bring with them a certain amount of grief. The grief is that feeling of loss. We feel as though a dream died. If we are note cautious at these times we find that we allow depression to enter in. Rather than standing with Jesus, assured that although our dream wasn't THE plan that He still has a plan and we're going to see it through; we are standing among enemies, warming ourselves by the fire. We sit there disengaged from the process, sulking over our loss. 

We must catch this tendency in ourselves. This was God's plan all along, we simply built up our hopes on imaginations of what we thought would happen, or what we thought God's plan was. Peter dreamed of a kingdom to replace Rome! Indeed the Kingdom of God, Jesus' favorite topic, DID replace Rome! It has replaced every kingdom that stood against it since. Hitler fell because the Kingdom of God cannot be fought against and won. Rome fell for the same reason. The Soviet's fell for the same reason. All kingdoms that stand against God and His Christ will fall! Peter wasn't wrong in his general dream of a Kingdom to come... he misunderstood the timing and method. 

We catch glimpses of God's plan for our lives and we must ask ourselves. Did the timing and method we devised, imagined, dreamed about, come from God? Did we ask him for the details? Or did we get a glimpse of the plan and fill in the details ourselves? Grief comes from a sense of loss. But when dreams die it is rarely because God's plan didn't become realized in our lives. More often, it is because OUR dreams about God's dream died. 

Jeremy Pearsons teaches that Faith is a response! (See this video from about 44:00 through about 59:00)(The whole thing is great! These times highlight this response issue.)

We can't make up any old thing and call it faith. We must hear from God HIS plan and respond to His plan! THAT is faith. When the Israelites were told to go into Canaan and take the land and they refused because of a bad report they angered God for doubting His word. God told them the plan had changed. Because they disobeyed they would stay out in the desert. They then packed up and headed to battle, like he told them the first time, but were totally beaten. This looked like faith, sounded like faith... it wasn't faith! It was foolishness and presumption! They were acting on an earlier Word from God and now totally ignoring His more recent instruction. We must hear from God about what HIS plan is for our lives TODAY. 

It is only through response to God's Word through prayer, that we can live victoriously. This victory is the only way to live a life free from these kinds of shattered facades we call dreams. Toss out your dream. Find out what God's dream for you is today!

Darrell G. Wolfe

The Story in Four Perspectives:
12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. 13 And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. 14 Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. 15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." 18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself. 19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. 21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said." 22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer the high priest like that?" 23 Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" 24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not!" 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

54 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed at a distance. 55 Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him." 57 But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." 58 And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" 59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean." 60 But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

66 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Nazareth." 68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying." And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, "This is one of them." 70 But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, "Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it." 71 Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!" 72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And when he thought about it, he wept.

69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee." 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying." 71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!" 73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you." 74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.

Send me a picture to use as an object lesson.


I have an idea. I'm going play a game with you that a pastor I once new did with the children of the congregation. I think it's a fun game for any age group.

Here is your job: Send me a picture that you took yourself and I'll make in an object lesson.


Disclosure:
I only agree to use pictures that follow these disclosures and I will use as many as I can keep up with. Obviously if I get a 1000 pictures I could not use them all. I'll pick the best ones. *The picture must be in good taste and clean. It must be taken with your own camera and not taken from the internet somewhere, or be someone else's photo that you do not have permission to use. It must be clear and good quality, not a poor image. Fuzzy can be OK, if that was obviously done on purpose. It can be something normal, like a head shot or family photo. It can be something abstract like a close up of a flower or leaf. Use your imagination. Try to make it difficult. Have fun, use your imagination. You can leave it as a Facebook Post on this blogs page. You can send it by email to DarrellGWolfe@gmail.com. You can leave it as a comment on the blog as well. Or you can post the link to the Picasa or Flickr Public Album*

Have Fun Scouting: I look forward to this exercise!

Darrell G. Wolfe

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

Cashless Society...

Tale of Two Seasons:

As we quickly approach the last days there are two sets of events simultaneously emerging. The one most average Christians know about, and the one fewer know about. 

Tribulation:
Revelation 13:16
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads...

"The Tribulation", a period of 7 years where the earth will come under tremendous stress. Having been vacated of all the Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, who are the salt and light, and therefore restraining the darkness; the Prince of this present world's system, Satan, will cause his Anti Christ to emerge. 

People will get saved under the preaching of many who knew of the Gospel but didn't believe in their heart or confess with their mouth. There will also be 144,000 Jewish witnesses, from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, who will preach salvation on the earth. Primarily, they will be sent to the people of Israel, and then also to the rest of the inhabitants on earth who didn't leave in the first ride out. 

During this time there will come a day when Anti Christ will cause people to be locked out of the world's monetary system of buying and selling without a special mark. 

The Harvest:

Ephesians 5:27 
...that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The Glorious Church, is also a time that is fast approaching. Christ is coming for a church without spot or wrinkle. He made us that way with His blood. The end will not come until the Gospel has been preached all over this world. 

Even now people are coming to Christ in record numbers. Crusades in Africa where MILLIONS, in ONE meeting, are coming to Jesus, getting, saved, healed, delivered, having devil's cast out, etc... Muslims all over the middle east are becoming Christians in record numbers. 

Healing, Miracles, and Revivals are breaking out all over the world. Places that were considered dark and impenetrable are now opening to the Gospel. 


Current Events:

In light of current events there are things taking shape. As much as 10-20 years ago I was already hearing about the chips that were under development that would allow a person to have a chip implanted in the hand and be scanned to complete a transaction.

Well those days are upon us now, more than before. We now have chips implanted in Pets for identification of lost animals. As a society we are becoming more accepting of other chip implant concepts, such as chips in kids (presumably, for now, for tracking and medical information). 


Now we are growing every closer to the cashless society that many Christians said would come, and many scoffers said was impossible, only less than 100 years ago. The first wave of this technology to hit the USA in full force and acceptance was a small improvement to our debit/credit cards. The advent of Visa Pay Wave was so subtle, you may or may not have noticed it yet. Look on the front or back of your debit and/or credit card for a small symbol that resembles sound waves. Backward C's that get larger left to right, as seen on the image below, and on the cards above. PayWave allows the card holder, at participating merchants (there are more and more by the day), to simply tap the card to a read. No need to slide the card or hand it over. If you only carry one card you may not even need to take it out of the wallet.
See the Visa Video: Visa Pay Wave Video  

In Europe they have taken a more assertive approach. Those who travel outside of the USA already know that in many places in Europe you MUST have a new card type to do business. The EMV Chip has now completely replaced the magnetic strip on cards in many places. That's right. NO magnetic strips. We've grown used to those strips in the last 30 years since they were introduced in the 70's and 80's. Well, just as the smart phone forever changed cell phones, the EMV chip has now replaced the old cards.

Need to find yourself an EMV chip before you go traveling to Europe? I have a lot of people ask me where to get one. I suggest doing a Google Search for "EMV Chip Cards". I found this handy website with such a search: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/2012/americas-top-emv-chip-pin-credit-cards/

But that's just one more small step... there's more... Why carry the chip on a card? That's SO 20th century! Why not just have a smart phone with the chip implanted in it, download the app for your particular Credit Card Company or Debit Card Bank and *presto chango* Your CELL PHONE has not replaced your Credit Card entirely! Don't even bring the silly plastic thing along!

The Following are Excerpts from Visa's Blog:
Visa’s mobile payment app – Visa payWave...
These certifications are important and set the stage for banks and mobile operators to allow consumers to “wave and pay”, finally transforming the phone into a payment device.

More and more people are noticing the rapid shift from cash and checks to electronic payments. Earlier this week, Canada announced it will withdraw the penny from circulation, citing high cost of production, transportation, storage and handling.

In a blog on the Huffington Post, author David Wolman observes that the U.S. is well on its way to this kind of broad acceptance, reducing costs for merchants, consumers and society alike. In his words, cash is “inconvenience incarnate” and, with the advent of the latest technology like mobile, “cash is getting bumped further and further to the edges of our everyday lives.”...If you want a glimpse of what a cashless future might be like, all you need to do is look at what’s happening in Sweden. According to a recent AP news story, Sweden has converted almost its entire economy to digital currency, from bus fares to all kinds of business. In fact, cash today represents just 3 percent of the Swedish economy. But convenience and reducing costs are just two of the advantages of acceptance. In Sweden, it’s also credited with a significant decline in cash crime, the AP reports: The number of bank robberies plunged from 110 in 2008 to 16 in 2011, the lowest level in 30 years. Armored car robberies are down, too. When thieves know people are unlikely to carry cash, they are less likely to target them for street crimes.
So what now?

Now, if you are remotely inclined to believe the bible, you may be asking yourself... this sounds like a set up for the mark of the beast... Congratulations! It is!

In fact biochips are already in people, primarily for Identification and Medical Records. These types of chips are usually called RFID chips, and primarily nothing more than a fancy bar-code.

As Snopes correctly identifies, these ID chips and the EMV chips are completely different technologies. They also correctly site that people far too intrigued in the fear of the Mark of the Beast are taking wild leaps in their assessments of the developments and giving out wrong information as fact. 

However, considering that iPhone doing more today than a bulky PC did just 20 short years ago... it's not anywhere out of reason to assume that two different technologies (RFIS - ID chips and EMV -Transaction Chips) could one day meld into a single usable chip that could do all of the above and more, and at the rate of expansion of technology, it's not out of reason to assume that could happen very quickly.

Also, there is no reason to assume that the Mark of the Beast is located in the same place on the body the chip is located. It is likely that it will be, but the mark could be a tattoo of loyalty on the forehead or hand and the chip implanted in the butt! The bible says that the mark will be required for transactions, not that it is itself the transaction tool. I agree with Snopes, these half cocked emails need to stop, but let's not throw the whole thing out, there are some good reasons to ponder these things.

Our Response:

No Fear - But rather excitement!:
We have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7)
The first thing that must be said about this article, is that it should in NO WAY scare you. Somehow Christian people get nervous when talking about the end times or Anti Christ. We are WAY more powerful than the Anti Christ individually, nonetheless as a group. Each one of us has the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us! Scared? NO! Excited!

There are SEVERAL things that have to take place before the mark of the beast comes. The Gospel has to be preached to the WHOLE WORLD, the Church must be taken in the rapture, and most importantly, for those of you who were either left here on earth or those who chose to stay (yes you may be able to choose to stay), the mark of the beast CANNOT be taken accidentally. The mark involves denying Jesus and swearing your worship to the Anti Christ who will have imposed himself as god incarnate and made 7 year peace treaty with Israel, in which the Temple of Solomon will be re-built right next to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

So there is no reason to fear technology that brings us closer to the end. We should be excited because that means Jesus is coming soon! We can embrace technology that makes our lives easier. I am not against the EMV chip in cards, or even the ID chip in pets. My dog has one, I think? These things are not evil, in and of themselves.

Personal Opinion Break:
(For those of you who don't believe in a pre-tribe rapture, you are not just wrong, you are deceived. I've seen nothing but evil doctrines come from churches that teach anything but a pre-tribe rapture. Teaching that Christians will stay through the tribulation are doctrines of devils and should be run from like a plague. I don't doubt the salvation, usually, of someone who teaches a post/mid trib rapture, but I wouldn't trust ANY of their doctrine for a split second. I believe that no one that teaches anything other than a pre-trib rapture is listening to God's Spirit.)

The only healthy biblical reaction for teaching about the end times is EXCITEMENT! We are nearing our departure point and we should be so excited about it that others get caught up in our excitement and hop on board the train.

FEAR is always a sign the devil is at work. So if you are a Christian and you read an article like this one and FEAR results, you need to get under more teaching from Anointed Men and Women who teach faith. If your pastor isn't teaching faith, healing, prosperity, deliverance, joy, etc... GET OUT, don't wait, RUN! FAITH, BOLDNESS, CONFIDENCE, ASSURANCE... these are the natural reaction of people who are taught The Word of God.

FAITH or FEAR. Your choice. See this article if you are struggling with fear in any form: Click Here

See this Message on Pre Trib Rapture: Click Here

Other Material on the subject, although I now find that I cannot find a GREAT resource among the midst of this world wide web. So many voices arguing. I will have to write some articles on the subject.



Natural:

There are things we should be doing in the natural. If you are going to travel, go get an EMV chip. Find out where to get one. You'll need it to do business. Getting a chip in the dog could be a good idea.

How far do we take it? I don't know. You pray and ask God what He is telling you for your family. Would I get a chip in my kid? Probably not. I don't trust any government to use that technology right, and the US Government controls our medical system. For that matter, as my mom has been a nurse for over 30 years, I don't trust the medical system. I don't mind centralized medical records that they can pull with my social, maybe doctors would stop making so many mistakes, they are practicing you know!

I don't know that I want any chip in my body for any reason. I like being able to unplug. I got rid of my cell phone 2+ years ago and I'm not sure when I'll get another. Just don't need it. I write blogs, I write o them weekly, if not daily, but that doesn't mean that I don't like turning it all off when I want to. For me, the idea of a chip in me is distasteful. But that is more of a moral, ethical, trust issue. It's a matter of not trusting the source of that technology or how it will be used. It is NOT a fear of the Mark of the Beast.


Spiritual:

Articles like this should re-fire you; excite you! They should remind you, yet again, that Jesus is coming! When you start to see more and more of this tech coming out, don't fear! Get all giddy! Jesus is coming! Go tell your friends. Let the concerns of this days needs wash away and roll the care of all that on Jesus. He'll take care of your needs as you seek His Kingdom Agenda and remind yourself that He has MADE you righteous!

What is YOUR calling? What ministry have you been called to? Are you a Church Minister; Business Minister; Accounting or Banking Minister; Food/Restaurant Minister? Do what you are called to do with passion and enthusiasm! Remember that Jesus is coming soon and all that will matter when it's all said and done is what you did to impact others for Jesus.

Pray about your day. I work at a call center, for now. I am learning to pray that every word I speak will minister the Life of God to people. When someone says they aren't feeling well and I wish them good health am I just saying that because that's how sales people build and maintain rapport? Sales people are trained to respond in empathy to your misfortune as it build trust and makes the conversation smoother to conduct business. It's part of the human-business model. First you meet human needs and then you can transition to business. Listen to the voice tone of the next person you tell a bad story to who is a trained customer service and/or sales person. "I'm sorry to hear that" "I'm sorry for your loss"... sound familiar? Are they sorry? Maybe. Some people truly do empathize with their customers, feel their pain with them. Some just say it because it's part of their call recording scores. Some just say it, with gusto, to make you easier to sell to.

What if... what if we did these things as Jesus would do them, or as if Jesus were the one calling. "If you give a cup of cold water in my name you gave it to me..." What if I prayed every morning about the people I would talk to that day, customers and co-workers. What if I prayed until I sensed the anointing of God on my to do what I do that day as if Jesus himself were walking into that call center. When someone says they are not feeling well and I say "Well, be healed." Did I say it because I'm just trying to employ a sales or quality assurance technique? Did I say it because it was the religious thing to say? Did I mean it? What if I actually expected the anointing of God to pass through me as I touched your arm or shoulder and said "be healed" matter of factly (not religiously) and I BELIEVED that the anointing would go into you and heal you! THERE is an idea!

Go about your day today and pray about how you can impact your world with the quite, subtle, power of Jesus. Notice that Peter didn't YELL at people on the streets to be healed. It was just his shadow that healed them as he passed by. He just did his thing and the Anointing did It's thing!

There is a GREAT HARVEST that needs to be brought in. We have a commission to go, preach, and make disciples! We have a commission to back that up with sings following. Mark 16. End times reminders are helpful to re-excite us about the coming rapture and remind us to keep our eyes focused on the goal!
As Rod Parsley once said: "The Apex of ALL Christian endeavour must become to place a jewel of a soul in the crown of our King, to bring to the Lamb the reward of his suffering!"
GLORY! Thank you Jesus! THAT is Christian living!

Next time you see or hear something that reminds you the end is near... REJOICE! 
Acts 5:15
As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

Philippians 4:4 
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Darrell G. Wolfe
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See Referenced Articles:





Cashless Society...

Tale of Two Seasons:

As we quickly approach the last days there are two sets of events simultaneously emerging. The one most average Christians know about, and the one fewer know about. 

Tribulation:
Revelation 13:16
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads...

"The Tribulation", a period of 7 years where the earth will come under tremendous stress. Having been vacated of all the Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, who are the salt and light, and therefore restraining the darkness; the Prince of this present world's system, Satan, will cause his Anti Christ to emerge. 

People will get saved under the preaching of many who knew of the Gospel but didn't believe in their heart or confess with their mouth. There will also be 144,000 Jewish witnesses, from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, who will preach salvation on the earth. Primarily, they will be sent to the people of Israel, and then also to the rest of the inhabitants on earth who didn't leave in the first ride out. 

During this time there will come a day when Anti Christ will cause people to be locked out of the world's monetary system of buying and selling without a special mark. 

The Harvest:

Ephesians 5:27 
...that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The Glorious Church, is also a time that is fast approaching. Christ is coming for a church without spot or wrinkle. He made us that way with His blood. The end will not come until the Gospel has been preached all over this world. 

Even now people are coming to Christ in record numbers. Crusades in Africa where MILLIONS, in ONE meeting, are coming to Jesus, getting, saved, healed, delivered, having devil's cast out, etc... Muslims all over the middle east are becoming Christians in record numbers. 

Healing, Miracles, and Revivals are breaking out all over the world. Places that were considered dark and impenetrable are now opening to the Gospel. 


Current Events:

In light of current events there are things taking shape. As much as 10-20 years ago I was already hearing about the chips that were under development that would allow a person to have a chip implanted in the hand and be scanned to complete a transaction.

Well those days are upon us now, more than before. We now have chips implanted in Pets for identification of lost animals. As a society we are becoming more accepting of other chip implant concepts, such as chips in kids (presumably, for now, for tracking and medical information). 


Now we are growing every closer to the cashless society that many Christians said would come, and many scoffers said was impossible, only less than 100 years ago. The first wave of this technology to hit the USA in full force and acceptance was a small improvement to our debit/credit cards. The advent of Visa Pay Wave was so subtle, you may or may not have noticed it yet. Look on the front or back of your debit and/or credit card for a small symbol that resembles sound waves. Backward C's that get larger left to right, as seen on the image below, and on the cards above. PayWave allows the card holder, at participating merchants (there are more and more by the day), to simply tap the card to a read. No need to slide the card or hand it over. If you only carry one card you may not even need to take it out of the wallet.
See the Visa Video: Visa Pay Wave Video  

In Europe they have taken a more assertive approach. Those who travel outside of the USA already know that in many places in Europe you MUST have a new card type to do business. The EMV Chip has now completely replaced the magnetic strip on cards in many places. That's right. NO magnetic strips. We've grown used to those strips in the last 30 years since they were introduced in the 70's and 80's. Well, just as the smart phone forever changed cell phones, the EMV chip has now replaced the old cards.

Need to find yourself an EMV chip before you go traveling to Europe? I have a lot of people ask me where to get one. I suggest doing a Google Search for "EMV Chip Cards". I found this handy website with such a search: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/2012/americas-top-emv-chip-pin-credit-cards/

But that's just one more small step... there's more... Why carry the chip on a card? That's SO 20th century! Why not just have a smart phone with the chip implanted in it, download the app for your particular Credit Card Company or Debit Card Bank and *presto chango* Your CELL PHONE has not replaced your Credit Card entirely! Don't even bring the silly plastic thing along!

The Following are Excerpts from Visa's Blog:
Visa’s mobile payment app – Visa payWave...
These certifications are important and set the stage for banks and mobile operators to allow consumers to “wave and pay”, finally transforming the phone into a payment device.

More and more people are noticing the rapid shift from cash and checks to electronic payments. Earlier this week, Canada announced it will withdraw the penny from circulation, citing high cost of production, transportation, storage and handling.

In a blog on the Huffington Post, author David Wolman observes that the U.S. is well on its way to this kind of broad acceptance, reducing costs for merchants, consumers and society alike. In his words, cash is “inconvenience incarnate” and, with the advent of the latest technology like mobile, “cash is getting bumped further and further to the edges of our everyday lives.”...If you want a glimpse of what a cashless future might be like, all you need to do is look at what’s happening in Sweden. According to a recent AP news story, Sweden has converted almost its entire economy to digital currency, from bus fares to all kinds of business. In fact, cash today represents just 3 percent of the Swedish economy. But convenience and reducing costs are just two of the advantages of acceptance. In Sweden, it’s also credited with a significant decline in cash crime, the AP reports: The number of bank robberies plunged from 110 in 2008 to 16 in 2011, the lowest level in 30 years. Armored car robberies are down, too. When thieves know people are unlikely to carry cash, they are less likely to target them for street crimes.
So what now?

Now, if you are remotely inclined to believe the bible, you may be asking yourself... this sounds like a set up for the mark of the beast... Congratulations! It is!

In fact biochips are already in people, primarily for Identification and Medical Records. These types of chips are usually called RFID chips, and primarily nothing more than a fancy bar-code.

As Snopes correctly identifies, these ID chips and the EMV chips are completely different technologies. They also correctly site that people far too intrigued in the fear of the Mark of the Beast are taking wild leaps in their assessments of the developments and giving out wrong information as fact. 

However, considering that iPhone doing more today than a bulky PC did just 20 short years ago... it's not anywhere out of reason to assume that two different technologies (RFIS - ID chips and EMV -Transaction Chips) could one day meld into a single usable chip that could do all of the above and more, and at the rate of expansion of technology, it's not out of reason to assume that could happen very quickly.

Also, there is no reason to assume that the Mark of the Beast is located in the same place on the body the chip is located. It is likely that it will be, but the mark could be a tattoo of loyalty on the forehead or hand and the chip implanted in the butt! The bible says that the mark will be required for transactions, not that it is itself the transaction tool. I agree with Snopes, these half cocked emails need to stop, but let's not throw the whole thing out, there are some good reasons to ponder these things.

Our Response:

No Fear - But rather excitement!:
We have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7)
The first thing that must be said about this article, is that it should in NO WAY scare you. Somehow Christian people get nervous when talking about the end times or Anti Christ. We are WAY more powerful than the Anti Christ individually, nonetheless as a group. Each one of us has the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us! Scared? NO! Excited!

There are SEVERAL things that have to take place before the mark of the beast comes. The Gospel has to be preached to the WHOLE WORLD, the Church must be taken in the rapture, and most importantly, for those of you who were either left here on earth or those who chose to stay (yes you may be able to choose to stay), the mark of the beast CANNOT be taken accidentally. The mark involves denying Jesus and swearing your worship to the Anti Christ who will have imposed himself as god incarnate and made 7 year peace treaty with Israel, in which the Temple of Solomon will be re-built right next to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

So there is no reason to fear technology that brings us closer to the end. We should be excited because that means Jesus is coming soon! We can embrace technology that makes our lives easier. I am not against the EMV chip in cards, or even the ID chip in pets. My dog has one, I think? These things are not evil, in and of themselves.

Personal Opinion Break:
(For those of you who don't believe in a pre-tribe rapture, you are not just wrong, you are deceived. I've seen nothing but evil doctrines come from churches that teach anything but a pre-tribe rapture. Teaching that Christians will stay through the tribulation are doctrines of devils and should be run from like a plague. I don't doubt the salvation, usually, of someone who teaches a post/mid trib rapture, but I wouldn't trust ANY of their doctrine for a split second. I believe that no one that teaches anything other than a pre-trib rapture is listening to God's Spirit.)

The only healthy biblical reaction for teaching about the end times is EXCITEMENT! We are nearing our departure point and we should be so excited about it that others get caught up in our excitement and hop on board the train.

FEAR is always a sign the devil is at work. So if you are a Christian and you read an article like this one and FEAR results, you need to get under more teaching from Anointed Men and Women who teach faith. If your pastor isn't teaching faith, healing, prosperity, deliverance, joy, etc... GET OUT, don't wait, RUN! FAITH, BOLDNESS, CONFIDENCE, ASSURANCE... these are the natural reaction of people who are taught The Word of God.

FAITH or FEAR. Your choice. See this article if you are struggling with fear in any form: Click Here

See this Message on Pre Trib Rapture: Click Here

Other Material on the subject, although I now find that I cannot find a GREAT resource among the midst of this world wide web. So many voices arguing. I will have to write some articles on the subject.



Natural:

There are things we should be doing in the natural. If you are going to travel, go get an EMV chip. Find out where to get one. You'll need it to do business. Getting a chip in the dog could be a good idea.

How far do we take it? I don't know. You pray and ask God what He is telling you for your family. Would I get a chip in my kid? Probably not. I don't trust any government to use that technology right, and the US Government controls our medical system. For that matter, as my mom has been a nurse for over 30 years, I don't trust the medical system. I don't mind centralized medical records that they can pull with my social, maybe doctors would stop making so many mistakes, they are practicing you know!

I don't know that I want any chip in my body for any reason. I like being able to unplug. I got rid of my cell phone 2+ years ago and I'm not sure when I'll get another. Just don't need it. I write blogs, I write o them weekly, if not daily, but that doesn't mean that I don't like turning it all off when I want to. For me, the idea of a chip in me is distasteful. But that is more of a moral, ethical, trust issue. It's a matter of not trusting the source of that technology or how it will be used. It is NOT a fear of the Mark of the Beast.


Spiritual:

Articles like this should re-fire you; excite you! They should remind you, yet again, that Jesus is coming! When you start to see more and more of this tech coming out, don't fear! Get all giddy! Jesus is coming! Go tell your friends. Let the concerns of this days needs wash away and roll the care of all that on Jesus. He'll take care of your needs as you seek His Kingdom Agenda and remind yourself that He has MADE you righteous!

What is YOUR calling? What ministry have you been called to? Are you a Church Minister; Business Minister; Accounting or Banking Minister; Food/Restaurant Minister? Do what you are called to do with passion and enthusiasm! Remember that Jesus is coming soon and all that will matter when it's all said and done is what you did to impact others for Jesus.

Pray about your day. I work at a call center, for now. I am learning to pray that every word I speak will minister the Life of God to people. When someone says they aren't feeling well and I wish them good health am I just saying that because that's how sales people build and maintain rapport? Sales people are trained to respond in empathy to your misfortune as it build trust and makes the conversation smoother to conduct business. It's part of the human-business model. First you meet human needs and then you can transition to business. Listen to the voice tone of the next person you tell a bad story to who is a trained customer service and/or sales person. "I'm sorry to hear that" "I'm sorry for your loss"... sound familiar? Are they sorry? Maybe. Some people truly do empathize with their customers, feel their pain with them. Some just say it because it's part of their call recording scores. Some just say it, with gusto, to make you easier to sell to.

What if... what if we did these things as Jesus would do them, or as if Jesus were the one calling. "If you give a cup of cold water in my name you gave it to me..." What if I prayed every morning about the people I would talk to that day, customers and co-workers. What if I prayed until I sensed the anointing of God on my to do what I do that day as if Jesus himself were walking into that call center. When someone says they are not feeling well and I say "Well, be healed." Did I say it because I'm just trying to employ a sales or quality assurance technique? Did I say it because it was the religious thing to say? Did I mean it? What if I actually expected the anointing of God to pass through me as I touched your arm or shoulder and said "be healed" matter of factly (not religiously) and I BELIEVED that the anointing would go into you and heal you! THERE is an idea!

Go about your day today and pray about how you can impact your world with the quite, subtle, power of Jesus. Notice that Peter didn't YELL at people on the streets to be healed. It was just his shadow that healed them as he passed by. He just did his thing and the Anointing did It's thing!

There is a GREAT HARVEST that needs to be brought in. We have a commission to go, preach, and make disciples! We have a commission to back that up with sings following. Mark 16. End times reminders are helpful to re-excite us about the coming rapture and remind us to keep our eyes focused on the goal!
As Rod Parsley once said: "The Apex of ALL Christian endeavour must become to place a jewel of a soul in the crown of our King, to bring to the Lamb the reward of his suffering!"
GLORY! Thank you Jesus! THAT is Christian living!

Next time you see or hear something that reminds you the end is near... REJOICE! 
Acts 5:15
As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

Philippians 4:4 
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Darrell G. Wolfe
______________________________________
See Referenced Articles:





Thursday, April 26, 2012

Posting a You Tube Video into a Blog/Website

Instructions for: Posting a You Tube Video into a Blog/Website

Knowing something about HTML can be helpful, but it's not necessary. The following instructions are specifically for Blogger.Com blogs, but the same basic instructions work for WordPress.Com blogs and generally anything you want to post a video into, including emails, websites, etc. 

For example. Let's say you have an awesome You Tube video you found and it goes just GREAT with the topic you were writing about. 

  • All you need to do it go to the video in YouTube. 
    • Beneath the video, 
      • click "Share", 
      • then click "Embed". 
      • A box with a bunch of HTML comes up pre-highlighted for you. 
      • Simply right click on your mouse and hit copy, or if you are keyboard literate use Control-C. 
  • Then pull up the post you were writing. 
    • I suggest that if you are not HTML literate, at least a little, find the place you want to Embed the video and then hit the "Enter" button several times to create space in your post. 
    • Now in your post at the top you'll see two views. 
      • "Compose" is the default view that you type into. 
      • "HTML" is the view that shows you all the back code. For example; when you hit "Enter" over and over creating space between the paragraphs you will see the code 
        • "<br />". 
    • So find a bunch of those and look just above them and you'll probably find amidst the code the words you typed in your paragraph, with a bunch of other funny markings indicating to the computer that you wanted bold letters, or whatever. 
    • Then you just click wherever you want the video, next to one of those break marks 
      • "<br />" 
    • Then right click paste (or Control-V). 

If you still need help, try watching this video I found on the subject. You could also right click on this webpage and click "View Page Source" and scroll down until you find the words "www.YouTube.com". Try using Control-F to find it. You'll see where I posted this video. 





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    Disclaimers:

    FOR MY FULL DISCLAIMER: See my "Start Here About" page. Click Here

    Information here is As-Is. These are the opinions of a fellow traveler and seeker of truth. I am not a doctor, lawyer, licensed financial advisor, tax preparer, etc, etc... I'm just one guy, sharing what he's learned. As such, the information may be as true or faulty as the guy on the buss stop giving you directions. If you need accurate information I encourage you to seek the help of a professional in your field. 

    * I do make money from this blog. 1 Tim 5:18 says the worker is worthy of his wages. I do earn affiliate commissions or freebies from some of the products I discuss at various points on this blog. Regardless I only suggest things that have personally helped me, or someone I know. If you click on an "Affiliate Link" and you buy something I'll get a cut. Thanks for your support! 

    I am a conservative Christian. I write from a bible-centric point of view. I welcome people from other points of view to jump into the conversation. If you don't like bible-centric writing: I encourage you not to read my posts.... Unless you want to learn something new. 

    * In all you do: Live Long and Prosper, with GOOD SUCCESS! 


    Thank you, Darrell Wolfe

    Faith Works... How does it work?

    What Gives? Why don't I receive?

    Believing, Asking, Receiving, Faith, Seeing Results, Prayer of Petition... These are all great things. But why aren't more people seeing results? Why do people of Faith have so little? Why is it that when trouble comes most of us, like the apostles in the boat fear we will drown, rather than standing up and speaking to the storm "Peace be still!" 
    Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
    I've been wondering about that myself lately. What do I need to do to securely fasten myself to The Rock of Ages? A great man once told me that there are no complicated solutions. Complicated problems always arise because the basics are not being done. Whether you are building a house, building an excel sheet, or building a life... Whether you are playing guitar, creating a painting, or conducting a sales interaction... the basics are always the same for the field you are in. All guitar players have to work with the same set of rules in order to play a song. No matter how simple or complex the song is, there are basic things that work on a guitar. For example, if the guitar is out of tune you can be doing all the right things and not getting the right sound. Yellow paint and Blue Paint make green. Adding a little of this or that, more of this or less of that will change the dynamic. But Yellow and Blue make green. If you are aiming at Purple you won't get there with Yellow and Blue. You need to make a change. 

    I want to take a look at SEVERAL scriptures and then dissect them to talk about the themes we find there. There are some basic things that apply to life and The Word always deals with these themes. As I've been meditating on these for weeks here is what I've found.

    Scripture References:
    Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

    12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

    7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

    25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

    6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

    5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

    12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
    Let's take a few things from this:
    • Psalms 55
      • Cast your burden on the Lord and HE will sustain you.
        • This allows you to NOT BE MOVED
        • In other words, being moved by the situation indicated you are not casting your burden on Him.
    • John 14
      • Have Faith in Him/Believe in Him: and you'll do as He did, plus more. 
        • If you don't do as He did, it's because you don't believe/have faith.
          • Work on believing and you'll see more results
          • Believing with the HEART not just mental agreement
        • Part of doing as He did, is ASKING and He'll do it for you! Just like HE asked HIS Father and it was done for Him.
          • Whatever/Anything you ask in my name I'll do...
          • Ask anything in my name and I'll do it...
      • John 14 Tells twice to ASK and HE'LL DO IT because it's SO HARD to believe that!
    • John 15
      • Abide: Exist, Continue, Rest, Stand Firm
      • Abide in Jesus! Let The WORD (which is Jesus) dwell IN YOU! Then ASK what YOU desire and it will be done for you. 
      • Keeping His Commands (The Word) is how you abide in His Love.
        • Abide in HIS LOVE... Meditate on HIS LOVE for you until your love for Him and others is the natural result, the overflow. 
      • The Father is glorified through you asking and getting what you asked for, not by your sickness and poverty!
      • By Keeping in The Word, until LOVE dwells in you to overflowing you will have JOY.
    • Matthew 6
      • "Do Not Worry" is stated THREE times in these few sentences! This is not a suggestion it is a command! 
      • Worry cannot add to your life! This verse doesn't say that you can't add to your life, or even your natural height, but that WORRY will not do it! 
        • Vs 31 tells us how worry is processed: Therefore do not worry saying... Speaking worry roots it down further into your heart and produces more of the same. Of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks, and faith is released by believing with the heard and confessing with the mouth. Faith comes by hearing... and hearing (accurately) comes from The Word. (Romans 10:6 Romans 10:17, Luke 6:45)
        • Confess means: To say the same thing as.
        • When a criminal is accused of a crime and he confesses, he is saying the same thing as the accuser. 
        • If Faith comes by hearing and is released by saying/confessing then fear can also come by hearing and is released by saying. So you are releasing Faith or Fear with the words you speak. Not just a confession you speak in the morning for a few minutes. It's the words you speak throughout the day, the words you speak after you hung up with a customer that angered you, the words you don't say out loud but allow to rotate in your mind and refuse to extract and replace. 
        • Imagination is highly developed words. When words start to take root they become images, in order to process the memory of them. Are the images of your mind, as you drive, fly, or simply walk down the hall to your next destination images of worry or faith? 
      • What do we do instead of worry? 
        • We SEEK FIRST...
          • We seek The Kingdom of God (God's system of operation and God's agenda)
            • Are you motivated more by what God can do for you or what God can do through you for others? Are you setting your mind on the agenda of God? Are you asking God what assignments he has for you today? Yes I know you have work to do today, maybe it's not "ministry" work. But there are PEOPLE involved in your job. Customers, co-workers, people... those people have spirits and needs. What word can you speak, through the anointing, to change a life. 
            • ONE Word from God can change your life forever! If that's true, let God speak a Word THROUGH you to change someone else. It doesn't have to be all spiritual in presentation. Meeting someone as you pass by, finding out they aren't feeling well, and saying "Be healed", calmly and peacefully (not religiously) can minister healing to them, if you believed what you said. 
            • You won't likely have faith to minister healing today if you didn't spend some time praying this morning, allow the anointing to wash over you and rise in you, and get instruction from God on His agenda for today. 
              • God says that you shouldn't think about tomorrow... that means all you need is His Agenda today!
          • We seek His Righteousness. 
            • This means we seek to renew our mind to the fact that we are THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! 
            • As we fill ourselves with righteousness consciousness we become God inside minded. We begin to realize that we DESERVE everything God promised. No because of anything WE did. We didn't deserve it on our own. On our own we deserve lack, poverty, sickness, death, and hell. 
            • As I seek His Righteousness, realizing that I have been MADE The Righteousness of God, I have every RIGHT to every BLESSING that God promised. 
            • It's not about works. Serving as an usher doesn't make me better able to get The Blessings of God. Giving doesn't make me better able to get The Blessings of God. I Serve because I LOVE HIM! I Give because I LOVE HIM! I am BLESSED because HE LOVED ME! That is seeking His Righteousness! 
            • It means seeking that HE has made me righteous! I am WORTH it! Worth is not determined by the item being valued, rather it is determined by the one who is willing to pay the cost. The housing market in the USA has corrected because people aren't willing to pay that much for a house. The house was only worth $750,000 because someone was willing to pay that. Now it's worth $250,000 because that's all someone is willing to pay for it. It if it's worth $750,000 to you... KEEP it!
              • God determined my worth by paying for me with His Son! Therefore if I'm worth HIS SON how could I possibly doubt that He'd want me to have ALL THINGS to richly enjoy? (1 Tim 6:17, Romans 8:32)
    • 1 Peter 5
      • How do I cast care? How do I trust him? How do I get God's BLESSING on me to increase me? Prov 10:22 says that the BLESSING makes me rich? How?
        • I humble myself, by casting my care on him, and HE exalts me! PRIDE refuses to cast care. Fear and Worry are therefore, Pride. 
    • James 1
      • If any lacks, ask, ask in faith without doubting. 
        • Doubting = Double Minded, Unstable, Tossed about by the winds of circumstance, more likely to believe what he sees than what he knows of The Word. 
      • This applies to Wisdom. It also applies to anything you ask of God. As confirmed throughout the scriptures. "Ask and it will be done for you" seems to be among the several recurring themes of Jesus' ministry. 
    • Ephesians 3
      • Faith gives us:  boldness, access, and  confidence. 
        • Confidence in who or what?
          • Confidence in HIM. Confidence in who HE is, what HE does, His Will!
      • The Anointing of Jesus dwells in our hearts through faith as we are rooted and grounded in Love. 
        • By meditating on The LOVE of Jesus for us, we are being rooted and grounded In Him. 
        • This rooting and grounding in LOVE firms up our faith, for faith works by Love. Gal 5:6
        • As we increase in Love and Faith we are able to witness Him do WAY MORE than we can ask or think. 
      Conclusion

      So I see that the pattern here is thus: Doubt cripples faith. Faith is firmed up In Love. Worry is Fear is Pride. The way to rid ourselves of worry is to cast our care on Him. We abide in Him and as His Word abides in us, we ask for what we need and it's done for us. In casting our care on him, refusing worry, but instead choosing faith in The Word, we are not moved. Doubt moves us. Faith in The Word and Casting Care keeps us firm and unmovable. Over and Over and Over he tells us to simply ASK. How often do we worry, and never really ask? Or we ask, but then doubt he'll act on our behalf? How do I cast care? Well, worry is practiced by speaking, and faith is practiced by speaking. I begin to catch my thoughts, words, and imaginations and bring them in line with His Word. I choose to believe that He Will! As temptation to worry tries to take me I begin to meditate on His Kingdom Agenda and how I am the Righteousness of God!

      Thank you Jesus... to be continued...

      Darrell G. Wolfe







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