Category Archives: Walk with Jesus

Spiritfire- Proverbs 20:27 “The Lamp of the Lord”

“The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.”
 
We began talking about the ‘darkened path’.  Without God, the path of our heart and mind is dark indeed filled with many dangers, toils, and snares.  Many walk claiming they can see, but without a light, they are lost.  Psalm 119:105 helps us to see God’s revealing aid upon our path.  Not only does His light shine on our path but this proverb points out how it reveals our ‘inmost being’ to His ever-watchful eye.  We then talked about how many don’t want to know what He sees.  They would rather hide and let darkness cover them.  But His light will shine, and all will be revealed.
 
Up until now, the ‘fear’ of our inadequacies revealed in the light of a righteous and holy God, helped to keep our feet on His path.  But now a better path has been revealed, a better Way has been made known.  When we explored Proverbs 20:19, we witnessed how Jesus fulfilled ‘avoidance’- the path to Wisdom’s house.  We saw in what context His parable of ’The Good Samaritan’ was told.  Now, in this proverb, we see how Jesus, the Word made flesh, John 1:14, fulfilled the ‘lamp of the Lord’ by becoming the ‘Light of the world’, as in John 8:2.  For now, His light reveals the Righteousness of Jesus, which takes away our wickedness, as in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19.
 
A better Light has come!  Amen, thank You, Lord Jesus.

Spiritfire- Proverbs 20:25, It’s A Trap!

“It is a trap to dedicate something rashly
and only later to consider one’s vows.”
 
Admiral Ackbar’s cry of warning to the Rebel Alliance in the movie ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’, when they realized the shield around the “fully armed and operational battle station” was still up, was the first thing my kids and I heard.  After we took some time giving our best Ackbar impersonations, we began to explore this proverb from a long time ago, in a culture far, far away.  Because of its intro, we began to know this as the Star Wars’ proverb.
 
When we considered it, the story of Jephthah came to mind as one who made an oath rashly, in Judges 11.  Jephthah wanted to win a battle against neighboring Ammon over a dispute of land ownership, Judges 11:12-29.  So he made his oath to the LORD, in Judges 11:30-31, and said,  “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”  The LORD did as Jephthah asked, but the first thing that came out was not a thing, it was his daughter!  The trap of an oath rashly given was complete!  After he saw this, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break,” Judges 11:35.  She was his only child.
 
Did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter?  I’d consult the ‘book of armaments’ in: https://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/did-jephthah-sacrifice-daughter-to-god.html, to answer that.  Jephthah got to experience the truth of this proverb and in bitterness fulfilled his vow.
 
I then asked my kids, “Where’s Jesus in this proverb?”  As I asked this, it’s not to say that Jesus looked at each proverb and took the task to fulfill each one, but in His completeness as the Son of God, it was written in Colossians 2:3 “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” Jesus fulfilled everything.  Although again, as in most other proverbs, we feel the inescapable jaws of judgment and condemnation and are taught the discernment to ‘avoid the noid’, I mean the trap of impetuous oath making, Jesus is the One who sets the captives free as it is written of Him in Luke 4:16-21 quoting and fulfilling Isaiah 61:1.
 
Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who sets us free!  We are made new and complete in Him, Colossians 2:10!  Although this Star Wars’ proverb warns us and Jephthah’s example witnesses to us and we learn to be wise in what we say, Jesus gives us our freedom no matter how many Death Stars are built by the Empire.

Taken

No matter the joy
No matter the peace
All can be taken away here
All except Him

Make the Lord your joy
Make the Almighty your peace
If you do, there is shelter
If you do, there is hope

One Day we will be taken to Him.

Intro the Spection

After all the deep introspection, yeah, I see my scars. I know enough to say, “Don’t follow me”, but not enough to say, “Go this way”. Just know who you’re following.

Keep Jesus as your compass and you will be surprised at the stormy seas you will walk upon. The ‘fiery furnace’ may not be who you’d expect, nor the ‘lions’ den’.

Jesus will see you through.

Morning Prayer Time

“Dear Heavenly Father,

We receive from You (Hands are cupped together and are pulled up to our hearts to represent receiving from God,)
all that You have to bless us with.”  My daughter then adds: “And in store for us.”
I repeat her: “And in store for us.”
“We need more!  (I reach my hand up to Heaven every time I say ‘more’,)  We need more!
We need more more more more more more more more (Arms go crazy raising and falling,)
MORE of You!
Fill us all the way up (We wiggle our fingers from our feet to up to our heads,)
to OVERFLOW! (We wave our arms out like the ocean.)
You are the only One
who knows the end (We point to our left,)
before the beginning! (We point to our right,)
And we know that You are… (My kids fill in the blank with up to 10 things matching my fingers.  Some examples include:  Good, Loving, Kind, Amazing, Patient, Perfect, Generous, Awesome, Gracious, Faithful.  One hand represents for my daughter and the other is for my sons and they race to fill their quota.  Racing is fun,).
We know these things about You, so we trust in You.”
(Then I challenge my kids to pray “HUGE!!” and I give them a chance to pray their own individual prayers.)
Then I close us out in prayer.
May this help give you ideas of how to have fun while praying with your family.
God has no limits, so why should our prayers?

Isn’t Today Beautiful?

Why don’t I write about what “they” want me to write?

“In your writings, there is pain and abandonment,” yes, there is.  I get such accusations like- “he’s not writing from His relationship with the Spirit”, but I am.  It becomes the same as Peter when he sinks.  Why does he sink?  Why did Adam and Eve eat the fruit?  Why did Jesus sweat tears in the garden?  “But you talk about things ‘they’ don’t, like ‘unanswered prayer’.  The ‘faithful’ say it doesn’t exist, but you say it does.”  Either I am not ‘faithful’ and you have made another ‘pile of sticks’ you need to jump to remain so, or there is more to this than either of us know.  It would be easy to say faith = answered prayer, one proves the other.  It verifies the Truth that we can’t see and becomes little more than ammunition for Job’s friends.
 
I say Jesus shows us another form of prayer, for the ‘faithful’- Luke 11:1-12, and for the rest of us- Luke 22:39-46.  Yes, there is answered prayer.  Hallelujah!  People get healed, are resurrected.  Yes, there is unanswered prayer.  Babies die, people live in anguish and pain.  Is ‘faith’ to still say “Hallelujah!”?  Does ‘faith’ become- how much can you take and still praise Him?
 
I say: Don’t make ‘faith’ a pile of sticks that needs to be jumped.  Resist such temptation that makes it ‘us’ who made it, and ‘them’ who didn’t.  The ‘made it’ become the ones who prayed for their sick child who is healed, and the parents get to raise him/her and see the blessings of generations, while the ‘didn’t make it’ become the parents who hold their dead baby and mourn everyday carrying sorrow in their heart.  Many shake their head at such a dichotomy and abandon the ‘faith’ because of its impotence in the face of an unjust life.
 
Where is worship?  Shouldn’t it be for the victorious, the ‘us’ who made it?  No, worship was never about ‘us’, whoever we are.  It is always about Him.
 
I have witnessed the joy of leading thousands in worship, and the pain of disease that took it all away.  “In truth, I never cared for it,” is what people say to avoid the pain of devastating loss.  I want to point people to Jesus during joy and sorrow.  He is the breeze, the shade that blocks the unbearable heat of our life-giving sun.  Why must there be both?  I don’t know, but isn’t today beautiful?

Spiritfire; Proverbs 20:20, Light Of The World

“If someone curses their father or mother,
their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.”

There are all kinds of parents in this world. Some care too much for their children, some care too little, and still, others are variations of the two. For the ‘too much’, this Proverb stands and condemns the ungrateful. For the ’too little’, it warns the unwary. For the vain, this proverb is the ‘get away free’ card. For the abusive, it is a gateway of doom. If this is what awaits the victim before a righteous God, then what is in store for the abuser?

Ephesians 6:4 helps us to gain a fuller view of the parent/child picture:

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

When we looked at Jesus, we saw Him in the garden praying a prayer that wasn’t going to get answered. His reply, as told in Luke 22:42, was not to curse God, but was in submission to Him:

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

We kept our eyes on Jesus and saw Him on the cross. Again, He didn’t curse God. He didn’t follow the advice from Job’s wife in Job 2:9, to “curse God and die.” He didn’t sing “Good Good Father”, by Chris Tomlin, either. He said, in Matthew 27:46,

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Whatever peace filled David when he wrote Psalm 27:10,

“Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close,”

was turned on its head as in Psalm 22. Even so, Jesus did not curse His heavenly Father. Because of that, not only did Jesus not get snuffed out, He is the Light of the world, John 8:12.

More than the coming New Year, and clearer than your glasses, Jesus fulfilled Proverbs 20:20 for the salvation of us all.

Spiritfire- Proverbs 20:19, Avoidance or Invasion

“A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid anyone who talks too much.”

Avoidance, the way of wisdom. It is written to protect the traveler, to bring one through their journey to Wisdom’s house unscathed. We will meet many kinds of people during our days, and trust is a valuable commodity that leads straight to our treasure rooms. The gossip, one of the 5 members of Folly’s house, will betray those who seek passage through the lands of this life. They will betray that trust, your confidence, and leave your treasures to the birds who will rob you blind. This proverb stands as another warning sign to passersby, much like a deer crossing sign, or a falling rocks sign on the road, but with a bit more prejudice. Watch out! Don’t trust them! Protect yourself!

This way of wisdom explains so much of our philosophy of success. It is much like a protective father to his daughter who is of marrying age. He wants her to find a man who will love, cherish, and protect her all the days of her life. Or like advice from a leadership manual which teaches people who to allow on your team and who to not. Or even a health coach on which foods to eat and which to avoid. A business owner/entrepreneur on what is a good or poor investment. The road to Wisdom’s house is the road to success emotionally, physically, financially, and spiritually. And its fulfillment reveals the power of the Gospel.

When we thought of how Jesus fulfilled this proverb, our philosophy of success, we saw how Jesus invaded Folly’s house. We looked at who He ministered to and those He allowed on His team. Peter fit the bill of the gossip/talebearer, one who talked too much and betrayed Jesus. He could also be seen as the violent man, but I think that role belonged to Barabbas.  Judas Iscariot, the perverse man, who let his greed guide his actions and betrayed Jesus. Nathanael, the sluggard, who was found lying beneath a fig tree but not found later beneath the cross. Levi and other tax collectors, the scoundrel.  Prostitutes, lepers, and the demon-possessed finish out the inhabitants of Folly’s house and others of whom it was taught to avoid.

Jesus’ life consequentially doesn’t fit our understanding of success, but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, John 14:6. When we read of what happened to those He discipled and how they suffered after Jesus’ resurrection we witness the power of His redemption, His Kingdom, Hebrews 11:35-38. 1 & 2 Peter tell us of the impact Jesus had on a gossip, even a violent man. The path to Wisdom’s House that Jesus fulfilled opened the way for those at Folly’s House to be redeemed, healed, and made into new creations, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for invading Folly’s house and setting the captives free! Thank You for Your death and resurrection which gives us new life free from the wages of sin and death! Thank You for coming again to bring us to the Father! Come, Lord Jesus, come! Revelation 22:20.