THE PERFECT OIL

 



Psalm 119:105

Thy word is a lamp to my feet,

And a light to my path.

The verse above paints a wonderful picture of how God's word is suppose to be our guide.

It is to illuminate our surroundings so that we can see the proper way to travel.

The word of God allows me to spiritually and physically see where I am going as I make my way through my day.
As I read the words of Psalm 119, something came to me that I had never considered before, that is, the lamp is no good without oil.

You could own the most expensive, beautiful lamp in the world, but if you didn't have oil, the lamp would be useless.

A constant supply of oil was needed if you wanted to navigate your way around in the dark.

The light supplied by the source of oil was enough.

It showed you just enough so that you could walk the path before you.

In scripture, oil is a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:18. Filled! Overflowing, dripping with oil. Having a supply of oil that will never run out.

For it is God's Holy Spirit that brings understanding to us as we read His Word. Without the Holy Spirit, we are like a lamp without oil. Without God's Holy Spirit, the scripture doesn't make any sense and we have no understanding of what we are reading.

I'm not saying that we intellectually cannot make sense of God's word. We can read the words, we can even comprehend what they are saying. But they will never be transformed into "LIFE" without the Holy Spirit in us. The words will never bring truth and understanding without the oil of the Holy Spirit in us to illuminate what we are reading.

John 14:26 reads:

But the Helper the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

It is the Holy Spirit that is the POWER we have been missing in our life.
It is the Holy Spirit that is the POWER in Step#2 of the twelve steps that can restore us to sanity.

A POWER that is greater than ourselves.

The Holy Spirit is the connector that puts us in communication with God the Father and Jesus.

I wonder how many people are walking around with a lamp, but no oil?

Ephesians 5:15-16 reads:

Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil, so then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Be careful how you walk.....
Be careful how you make your decisions and then carry them out.

Be careful how you spend your time.

Why?
Because the days are evil.
The oil of the Holy Spirit gives me illumination to navigate these "evil days" but revealing to me what the will of the Lord is.

The one thing that my wife Vicki and I have found is the importance of starting our day off with prayer and getting into God's word.

It sets our minds and spirits straight and gives us understanding of what we are to do for the day.
The oil of the Holy Spirit makes our lamps come alive with light.

We have illumination to see the path that God has called us to, and we no longer have to stumble around feeling out way.

Is your lamp full?
If not, ask God for some oil.

He will provide a comforter that will never leave you.

God on you......

mb

HIS VOICE ----ABOVE ALL OTHER VOICES.

 

Psalm 84:10-12

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield.
The LORD will give grace and glory.

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

I guess one way of saying it would be:
"The worst day with God is better than the best day the world could offer to me"

Yesterday was a fearful day for me.

It seemed like every area that I was lacking in raised its voice and screamed in my head.

But God......

In His infinite mercy and wisdom, calmed my fears.

Reminded me that there was truth in my lack of ability and strength....

but....

Reaffirmed to me that He was strength in every place that had no strength.
He was wisdom in the middle of my dullness.

He was mercy in the midst of my unforgiveness.

He was light even though I felt darkness.

God reminded me that everything I wasn't

He was.

Today, I am grateful.

Today, I am at peace.
Today, I still don't have any answers, but that's o.k.

The answers will come in His time, not mine.

I rest in the truth of who God is.
What better place could you ever hope to be?

Find if for yourself.

God on you.....

mb

DECLARING HIS LOVE FOR US

 

Song of Solomon 2:4 /He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love.

I don't know where you are this morning, emotionally or spiritually.
You may be on top of the world...
Everything going your way.
Sun shining down.....song in your heart....smile on your face....
Or..
You may be spiritually and emotionally at the bottom of a deep dark well, with thoughts of not being able to ever get out.
Sin/addiction will do that to you.
The first thing that addiction does is rob you of your self worth.
It whispers to you how insignificant you are and that you are incapable of loving and being loved.
I hate addiction.

It plays a message over and over in your mind, beating you down further and further until you simply give up and accept the message as being the truth. The funny part in all of this, is that you turn to the very thing that is bringing the accusations against you.....you turn to the addiction to find comfort and relief from the pain. Each time you look to addiction to save you....it only drives you deeper into the pain. Like I said....
I hate addiction.

There is an answer.
The answer has a name.
Jesus.
Yep! You read me right.
Jesus.
He is love personified and carried to the highest level.
He is not the "Church" God...but He is Lord over His Church.
He is not the "religious" God....but rather He is God to be found through relationship.
He lifts up those who are brokenhearted.
He heals those who have been wounded and left for dead by the world.
He is love.
Did you catch that? Let it sink in.
Jesus is love.
I didn't say that Jesus loves...
Or He feels love...
Or He oozes love...
He is love. Jesus created the word to define the emotion and choice of what it means to love.
The word came from his very nature and mind, given to us so that we might understand that His Kingdom is a kingdom built and founded on the call to love.
We're not talking about love as the world sees it.
We are talking about a higher, more pure form of love.
Unconditional love...love without strings...
Love without hoops to jump through.

The verse from Song of Solomon reflects the heart of Jesus.
"HE brought me to his banqueting house...."
There is an invitation given to come and dine and feast with Jesus.
But more than the invitation, is the fact that Jesus came to us and carried us to the feast. He provided that which we could not do for ourselves.
Now the idea of a banqueting house is one that is built for relationship....with a meal as the center piece. Conversation around the table...laughter and good times. This is the heart of heaven....a place of intimate conversation and worship with Almighty God himself.

The identifying mark or flag that defines the banqueting house of God?
You guessed it...
LOVE!
He flies the flag proudly over His kingdom.
He proclaims to all....
Love the Lord God with all you strength, all your heart, all your mind.
Love your neighbor.....
And lastly....
You can only love your neighbor if you love yourself. Which takes us back to the top of this posting where I said that addiction's primary concern is to convince you that you are unlovable. That you have no value or worth to anyone.
Don't you fall for that lie.
Take the invitation to join Jesus at His banqueting house.
Come and stand under His banner....
The banner of love.

God on you....
mb

GIMME----GIMME----GIMME!

 

Luke 12:15

And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

Covetousness - The strong desire to acquire more and more possessions, power, experiences.
I want more.
How much is enough?
How much money is enough.
How many homes and cars are enough?
II Timothy 3 lays down the attitude and heart focus of humanity in the last days.
This word "covetousness" will be the primary drive that defines mankind.
I think I don't really have to prove this point, as all you have to do is look around, read the headlines in our daily paper and watch the newscast on television.

The need for greed is running rampant and seems to be the character du'jour for people.
You know the funny part about this mindset is that you don't actually have to be rich or even own a bunch of stuff to fall prey to this desire. Just like the Scripture reads that the "love of money is the root of all evil," no where does it say you have to have money. You can love money and be as poor as Job's turkey. It is that inner drive, the central focus of heart removed from Christ that seeks to feed a passion that is born in hell.
A selfish, self-centered, me-me-me, mentality.
If you look at heart that is filled with covetousness has no room for God.
Just as there was no room at the inn on the night of Jesus' birth, in the heart of a man who is consumed with the unholy want for material possessions, there is no room for a Savior.
Does that mean that someone who is consumed with covetousness is beyond salvation?
Not at all.
All it takes is the Holy Spirit breaking through the darkness and hardness of soul and mind to illuminate and bring conviction to the individual.

The Apostle Paul writes of learning the secret of being content.
You know, I think maybe we need a heavenly dose of contentment in our time and day.
Contentment is being at peace no matter what your current state of living.
Paul said that he had learned this secret of contentment and that he could be at peace whether he was hungry or full........in prison or a free man......whether he had a lot or nothing at all. I not really sure, but I believe that to operate and live from a position such as Paul wrote about would be one of the greatest gifts God could give us.  To be at peace inside ourselves and not tossed about by the lust and desire that seeks to have its own way would be a marked change in our growth as believers.

I do not want to be in bondage to the things of  this world.
I do not want to be a slave to the mindset of this world.
I want to be content and at peace as I follow Jesus daily.
In other words....
I want to be free from myself.

God on you...
mb

THE PERFECT OIL

 



Psalm 119:105

Thy word is a lamp to my feet,

And a light to my path.

The verse above paints a wonderful picture of how God's word is suppose to be our guide.

It is to illuminate our surroundings so that we can see the proper way to travel.

The word of God allows me to spiritually and physically see where I am going as I make my way through my day.
As I read the words of Psalm 119, something came to me that I had never considered before, that is, the lamp is no good without oil.

You could own the most expensive, beautiful lamp in the world, but if you didn't have oil, the lamp would be useless.

A constant supply of oil was needed if you wanted to navigate your way around in the dark.

The light supplied by the source of oil was enough.

It showed you just enough so that you could walk the path before you.

In scripture, oil is a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:18. Filled! Overflowing, dripping with oil. Having a supply of oil that will never run out.

For it is God's Holy Spirit that brings understanding to us as we read His Word. Without the Holy Spirit, we are like a lamp without oil. Without God's Holy Spirit, the scripture doesn't make any sense and we have no understanding of what we are reading.

I'm not saying that we intellectually cannot make sense of God's word. We can read the words, we can even comprehend what they are saying. But they will never be transformed into "LIFE" without the Holy Spirit in us. The words will never bring truth and understanding without the oil of the Holy Spirit in us to illuminate what we are reading.

John 14:26 reads:

But the Helper the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

It is the Holy Spirit that is the POWER we have been missing in our life.
It is the Holy Spirit that is the POWER in Step#2 of the twelve steps that can restore us to sanity.

A POWER that is greater than ourselves.

The Holy Spirit is the connector that puts us in communication with God the Father and Jesus.

I wonder how many people are walking around with a lamp, but no oil?

Ephesians 5:15-16 reads:

Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil, so then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Be careful how you walk.....
Be careful how you make your decisions and then carry them out.

Be careful how you spend your time.

Why?
Because the days are evil.
The oil of the Holy Spirit gives me illumination to navigate these "evil days" but revealing to me what the will of the Lord is.

The one thing that my wife Vicki and I have found is the importance of starting our day off with prayer and getting into God's word.

It sets our minds and spirits straight and gives us understanding of what we are to do for the day.
The oil of the Holy Spirit makes our lamps come alive with light.

We have illumination to see the path that God has called us to, and we no longer have to stumble around feeling out way.

Is your lamp full?
If not, ask God for some oil.

He will provide a comforter that will never leave you.

God on you......

mb

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE HEART

 

The illustration above point out a truth that many do not want to hear. A truth that some refuse to speak on from the pulpit and in the church. We want to ignore it and hope that it will go away or, at best, not be true. What is this truth? That the human heart is deceitful and wicked.

Our government thinks the solution to the moral condition of humanity is more education. Teach the people...give them instruction and they will do what they deem to be right. Herein is the problem. Any choice that is made comes from heart conviction. If the heart be sinful, then the choice will not be truthful or even holy.

The heart reveals the nature and character of people.

I remember during former president Bill Clinton's first campaign, the Republicans kept hammering at his character. The man who oversaw Clinton's campaign stated that? Character doesn't matter, it is the economy." I never will forget the sinking feeling that came to my spirit when I heard this statement. Character doesn't matter? It is the character of the man that determines the decisions he makes.

A heart that is not or has not surrendered to Jesus can only produce one kind of behavior.

Listed in Galatians 5 we read that list.

Immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and the things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

God presents mankind in another verse, Jeremiah 17:10 -  and is desperately sick. The heart is more deceitful than all else Who can understand it? The heart? Not that organ that pumps blood, but that which is the very core of our being. The connection between our will, our ego and our intellect where our decision on how to act and what to do come forth. IF the heart is wicked and evil, then our actions and behaviors will reveal this.

When I was at Rapha, one of the hardest things to get across with people who come into the program , is that their addiction is a secondary thing. It is a symptom of a greater thing. The very truth that has to be addressed if recovery is to be our goal, is that we suffer from a broken relationship with Jesus. Our hearts are wicked and full of sin. Sin? Sin is my self chosen independence to live my life with no interference from God on any level. When the woman was deceived in the garden of Eden by the serpent, the serpent put fort the idea that God has holding back from Adam and Eve. The serpent told her, "God surely knows that when you eat of the fruit, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God." Imagine that! The subtle promise that we can be like God. If I am like God, then I won't  need him. That is the very point that mankind traded away the promises of God.  Ever since that time, we have lived outside the will of God because of our sinful hearts and the nature that drives us to do that which is contrary to God's will.

It takes a heart-transplant from the divine heart of God to take us out of this old lifestyle.
King David knew this when he wrote in Psalm 51, "Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

According to the Twelve Steps:

Step #1 -  the total awareness that we are powerless to do the right thing. As Romans 7 reads.."That which I want to do, I do not do. That which I do not want to do, that is the very thing that I do." My friend that is powerlessness.

Step #2 - We come to believe in a Power that is greater than ourselves who could restore us to sanity.

Sanity comes with the heart change which produces a life change.

Step #3 - We made a decision to turn our WILL and our LIFE over to the care of God as we understood Him .

We look to every excuse and reason to validate our bad behavior except to the truth of God.

Therapy will not relive the pain and destruction of sin.
Medication will not free you from the bondage of a life separated from God.

Group-thought and Validation will not confirm the reality of Jesus' saving grace.

We find the answer for our life and for our future at the foot of the cross.
There forgiveness is applied to a life a sin.
There we find the unspeakable joy of the Lord. A joy that the world can neither comprehend or duplicate.

It is the shed blood of Christ that ushers us into the "new" life we have been searching for.

That is why I write daily.
To share with you the joy that has been brought to my own life.

To share Jesus with you....
May you find Him today for yourself.

God on you....

mb

12 STEPS TO TOTAL INSANITY

 

I thought these twelve steps to insanity gave a pretty honest view of those who choose to take a proven path wanting to do it "their way".It is the mindset of those who cannot or will not be totally honest with themselves.
Those who came to Jesus by faith and then suggested that He sit down while they take over.
I guess you could say it is the Anti-12 Steps.

1. We admitted we were powerless over nothing. We could manage our lives perfectly and we could manage those of anyone else that would allow it.
2. Came to believe that there was no power greater than ourselves, and the rest of the world was insane.
3. Made a decision to have our loved ones and friends turn their wills and their lives over to our care.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of everyone we knew.
5. Admitted to the whole world at large the exact nature of their wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to make others straighten up and do right.
7. Demanded others to either "shape up or ship out".
8. Made a list of anyone who had ever harmed us and became willing to go to any lengths to get even with them all.
9. Got direct revenge on such people whenever possible except when to do so would cost us our own lives, or at the very least, a jail sentence.
10. Continued to take inventory of others, and when they were wrong promptly and repeatedly told them about it.
11. Sought through nagging to improve our relations with others as we could not understand them at all, asking only that they knuckle under and do things our way.
12. Having had a complete physical, emotional and spiritual breakdown as a result of these steps, we tried to blame it on others and to get sympathy and pity in all our affairs. 

From The ACA Communicator -
March 1990 - Omaha, Council Bluffs Area Intergroup