Okay, brain drain time. It’s around a couple of hours before our afternoon service at church, a service I’m going to be sharing a message with, and a message that’ll more or less define the rest of the year.
Am I prepared? Well, no, according to my own standards. I have a couple of ideas here and there, but nothing specific, nothing defined – or, things are defined at a minimum, at best.
I just have to share that it’s been a bit of a struggle to start this year. I already had the specifics, or the details – enough details to have me define what a good day is, but it’s just that I’ve been sabotaging myself.
Yup, the sabotage is still around. And really, I just want to go ahead and unload everything, release all the junk, just as that we can have a better flow of ideas here.
And see, that’s already a revelation right there – just like you need to make sure that garbage must be cleared from a river, so we need to get rid of the lies and the bad habits that interfere with the flow. Just as, say, Pasig River can be rehabilitated if only all the trash was removed, so our minds – my mind could flow freely, and a whole lot cleaner – without all the junk and the garbage.
Problem is, I’m continuing to throw garbage into the river, and the trash in the flow continues to impede progress. And removing the gunk is good, but I now need to address that I need to stop looking for the garbage in the first place.
And right now I think that the key to all of it for me, in the most basic of levels, is to be thankful. To explicitly express gratitude. To intentionally give thanks, at ALL times – for, indeed, we know it is the will of God for us… BUT we now also UNDERSTAND and appreciate why God wants us to give thanks – it’s really for our own good.
In being thankful we are more proactive in appreciating the stream, and less focused on the garbage – on removing it, on seeing the filth, smelling the stench, and so on. In being thankful we remove the garbage – by increasing the flow and strength of the stream.
In expressing gratitude, we are more responsive to the temptation to go back into the dumpster – being grateful has us remembering how good things were without the garbage, and we essentially keep any of it from being thrown into the river.
Thankfulness amplifies the truth, and blocks the lies.
So with that said,
I am thankful for the faithfulness of God – He is ever present even when I am distracted, and He is with me constantly, consistently, with His great grace and His gracious greatness.
I am thankful, and I am grateful, because He is with me, in spite of all I’ve done to myself in the past days, in spite of all I’ve allowed to happen to me in the past days.
I was aware of how critical these first days were, but that part of me in the middle of December that just didn’t care about anything else by my own short-sighted comfort and selfish pleasures – well, not that part of ME, but that dead VERSION of me that insisted in the smallest traces of power – The flesh wasn’t going to sit still.
Nevertheless, I am thankful, for through the grace of God I’ve realized how there were still a lot of lessons for me to learn, there were still a lot of things that needed improvement and practice – My being grateful and thankful, for instance.
Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit. Thank You, God.
Thank You, for everything.
If matter can be created and rearranged to form the reality we exist in, in a matter of days, then surely revelations can come; Surely they can integrate in an instant, exponentially faster than we’ve been led to understand.
If our Father’s words are all it takes for light to come forth, for the borders of space to be established, and for time to begin; Surely His words are all it takes for us to receive value, refine knowledge, and reject lies in our own lives.
Surely our Father is one who not only blesses us in ways we expect – but more than this, He blesses us according to His terms. Yes, the God who is for us, and not against us, blesses us because He wants what’s best for us.
With intention and love, He blesses us by teaching us – He blesses us, with revelations.
Christ is the solid Rock on whom we stand.
But Christ is also the Rock on whom we rest.
‘Recommit’ – We were wed one time. Baptized one time. With that in mind, Communion is our reminder. Our anniversary celebration.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
New heart
I have my OWN problems! to Thank You, Father!
We went through 2024 saying that it was a Year of Trust, when we would be placing our trust in the Lord more, and we would be placing less trust in anything or anyone else.
In the process we were led to discussing the Book of Romans in length, and these two verses stood out:
as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”Romans 9:33
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”Romans 10:10-11
Now, both of these verses in Paul’s epistle to the Romans were quotes from the Old Testament – from Isaiah 28:16 to be precise. Let’s take a look at the context – meaning the other verses supporting it:
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”Isaiah 28:16-17
In verse 16 Isaiah prophesies of the Messiah – Besides other things, He is described as a foundation, and a cornerstone. We who know that this Foundation and Cornerstone is Jesus Christ may want to consider that He is much more than a Rock on whom we stand – But He is also a sure Foundation we can build upon, and He is the precise Cornerstone – the first stone which is laid on the foundation, which defines the form and the strength of the rest of the structure.
I’m led to consider that at the time, this was definitely a good premise, a good analogy to precede encouragement: ‘Whoever believes (in Him) will not be in haste.’
The entire year of 2024 was our emphasizing this. But there’s something else, in hindsight. I know it’s already 2025 but bear with me.
2023 was a year of Movement.
Remember when we said we’d be moving up to see from higher perspectives? Remember how we also said we’d be moving down to grow from deeper roots?
Remember, we said we’d be moving wider to expand our influence, and to expand our coverage?
I just now realized how we took these principles of 2023, and we applied them in 2024.
For see, we’ve certainly made HUGE emphasis, and we’ve taken time to encourage one another to trust in God when we WERE down and low…
But we’ve also made reminders to each other about how we’re to continue to trust in the Lord (to quote Bluey Maunick, to continue to ‘serve humbly in love’), even when we’re at the top of our game, and all seems to be working according to our expectations. In our trusting in God in the heights, we’ve been reminded of how God is higher.
We HAVE been trusting God higher, and deeper.
And remember how we’ve emphasized that when you have trouble trusting God, you start with giving thanks? Remember how we pointed out this worked both ways – that is, when you trust God, you shouldn’t be surprised that you would be giving thanks to Him more?
Do you remember how we realized the opportunity of prayer, and the privilege of having a direct line to our Father, to trust Him and thank Him, and to thank Him and trust Him?
Do you also remember how we appreciated the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, reminding us of our absolute right-standing with God, so we can pray to Him and call out to Him no matter what?
Or do you remember, earlier in the year, when we discovered that in our trusting in God, it was just natural for us to realize His great faithfulness?
We’ve trusted God, and we’ve naturally expanded our understanding – that is, we’ve been brought to appreciate the intricacies of our relationship with God.
We HAVE been trusting God, wider.
We HAVE been trusting God, we HAVE believed in Him, and, indeed, we have NOT been put to shame.
But there’s something else, isn’t there? Let’s not forget, Isaiah 28:16 is followed by Isaiah 28:17:
And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.
We’ve talked about how we’ve not only moved, but trusted God higher and deeper;
We’ve talked about how we’ve not only moved, but trusted God wider.
But remember we said something else? We’re to move forward, to trust forward: From the verse that speaks of believing in God, trusting in Him – to God demonstrating His glory and grace, and to God taking away the lies, and overflowing us with the Truth.
Justice is the pinnacle, or at the very least a distinct demonstration of God’s glory. Lines define borders or paths. We’re seeing, in this portion of verse 17, that God’s glory will define our direction this year. God’s glory will be the foundation beneath where we decide to go, what options and decisions to make.
Righteousness is the pinnacle, or at the very least a distinct demonstration of God’s grace. If engineers and workers use a spirit level to determine horizontal accuracy, plumb lines are used to ensure a structure’s vertical integrity. With that said, we have reason to believe that it is the grace of God that drives our discernment; it would be the basis of our accuracy and integrity this year. God’s grace will be our benchmark and our standard for our actions and reactions.
And now that I’m writing about it, it’s just timely that we have direction and discernment, especially in this reality becoming increasingly anxious and fearful.
There’s more. God works within us to prepare our entire beings by way of being our Direction and Discernment, but we will also see Him as the Lord who works outside, externally: Hail will sweep away the lies, and the refuge (source, conclave) of all lies in all its forms: falsehood, half-truths, deceptions and distractions. Consequently, Living waters of Truth will overwhelm (fill, overflow) our shelters.
Friends, we’ve moved from a Year of Movement, to a Year of Trusting in the Lord… and it seems that a natural ‘successor’ to Trusting In The Lord, is to receive Revelations:
By God’s glory revealed, our direction will be shown – to us, as individuals, as a congregation, and as the body of Christ.
By God’s grace manifested, our discernment will be realized – in our plans and our plan ‘B’s, in our actions and our reactions.
Sure as we are prepared internally against all falsehoods and half-truths, so we are also protected externally, from all deception and distractions.
And finally… we will find ourselves soaking in the waters of Life – Revelations.
Guess what, folks – the article up to that last line was 2025 words long. Again.
Thank You, Father, for everything! God bless us all!
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JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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