Psalm 139:13-14

“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.   

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

We are POSSESSED…  

Possessed:  To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit. (Strongs Concordance #3423, OT)  These are some of the meanings given for the word Possessed in the Old Testament. 

It means to own, or occupy the land.  In the Psalm above we see that the Lord, possessed my reins.  What???

Reins:    Strongs #3629 tells this means an essential organ, a kidney or fig. the mind (as the interior self).  

We are Possessed by the Lord.  Every human ever conceived, was and is, fearfully and wonderfully made.    We belong to God. 

He is our Creator, herein lies the  problem,  Freewill.    He gives us the ability to choose whether to accept Him as Lord and Savior or not.

Most of the world chooses not.  How Sad.

That’s not what this post is about.  Let’s talk about us.  We possess things.  We own our cars, homes, land, things…   Some, once owned people. 

Slavery, unfortunately once was practiced  here in the United States,  and is still practiced in many parts of the world.   That is certainly a wrong that should be corrected.   

We as Christians  should be slaves, though, bond slaves of Christ.

To be a bond slave of Christ is by choice, by our   Freewill.  It is a total giving of our mind, heart and body to the Lord.

How about being Possessed by the devil?   We find a lot of references to people being Possessed by the devil in the New Testament. Really?  What does that mean?

Matthew 12:22. Luke 11:14
Matthew 12:22
“Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.”
Luke 11:14
“And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.”

Possessed:  In the New Testament it can mean to own something, (such as property or things), but when connected to the devil, (possesed by, it is #1139, Strongs Concordance New Testament), it means to be exercised by, or vexed, troubled, bothered.

It is from the root word for devil.  A demon or devil cannot possess you, they can continuously trouble us, tempting us, vex our Spirit, but  We  are the Lords.

As Eve found out, the devil can tempt us by reminding us of our lust, greed, or pride.

Paul tells us a messenger of Satan, can buffet us, be a continuous thorn in our side.  

Tempting us, reminding us, if we fail in the fight, it can become the sin that so easily be sets us.

We see different levels of trials from this vexing, trouble, agitation.  From the Legion, wild, crazy, out of control. 

To seizures, issues of blood, deformities of limbs, to spirits of divination. 

 The point is Jesus can heal and set us free from anything the devil sends our way.  As He healed the blind and dumb man, causing him to see and speak.

The point?   NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.

He can comfort, heal, set us free from all the vexatious, troubles of the devil.

Unfortunately,  we do have to deal with the consequences of our decisions and actions.

That is a whole separate can of worms.

This story is told in three Gospels.   In the mouth of two or three witnesses… we find the truth.

Mark 2:1-12  Luke 5:17-26. Matthew 9:1-8

Mark 2

2 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.  (Luke-the power of the Lord was present to heal them.)
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit  (knew their thoughts) that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

This is a Faith building Story.   There are several points I would like to make.

A.  Not a Sabbath, Not in a Church (Jesus taught, on boats, hillsides,  private homes, on the streets). 

Wherever He was, the Word was shared.

We must carry the Gospel wherever we go.  We don’t need to know a lot of scriptures, (although it doesn’t hurt).   Women at well,  Legion, all who meet Him, long to tell of His Grace and Mercy.

It is important to know the Author.   Know in whom you believe and why.  This comes from time in the Word and in Prayer and Meditation. 

Spending time with the Lord.

B. It was noised about: 

The news of the presence of the Lord, gets talked about…  Churches grow, if the Lord is revealed. 

C.  Straightway  many were gathered:

Standing room only…. or no room at all.  Our Churches should be full, and would be full.  IF we allow the Lords Presence.    

Moment of meditation.  A place for God to reveal Himself.

This is a place where we could hear a Word of Wisdom or Knowledge, Prophecy… 

1 Corinthians 12:27-28

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, (all the easiest gifts to walk in). after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
If God spoke through a Donkey,  He could surely speak through the newest of Christians.

Miracles, gifts of healings,… these call for a deeper walk with the Lord…  Taking His Yoke upon us, walking with Him.

D.  He preached the Word:

The problem with the Church, we never hear the Full Council of God.   Lectionary’s, are great, they keep track of the Church Calendar. 

So we preach and teach, what happened when and what, year in and year out.  Birth, Death, Resurrection,  Pentecost….

Then we get into Doctrines:  Justification, Sanctification, Baptism, ect…

We end up missing the real message.  When John the Baptists faith wavered, he sent his followers to Jesus.  Are you the one?

Luke 7:22
Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

When we tell people what we have seen and heard, it doesn’t build up or renew  faith… We haven’t experienced those things. So when we tell people about the Lord.   It’s so what?

We need to hear the Full Council of God. 

Acts 17:18
he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

Galatians 3:5-6

5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6

5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

E.  There was no o way to get close.

They made a way.  Made a hole in the roof.

F.  JESUS SAW THEIR FAITH:

He saw their faith, because, they made a way to reach Him, when there was no way.
We come to Church, maybe even a Bible Study, we accept being fed, with no apparent  desire to learn to feed ourselves.
We never learn to chew our food, we don’t have the meat of the Word in our Spiritual diet.
We do not, study to shew ourselves approved unto God, workmen, rightly dividing the word of Truth.
It really isn’t hard to get close to God, to study His Word, to enter into the Holy of Holies.  To abide in Him.

When we do, we believe and act on His Word.

John 14:12

“He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.“

The Lord is God, He desires that all men be saved, He wants us to prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers.

We need to read the Word Daily…  No big deal, not for hours, a Proverb or a Psalm a day.  If you have time a chapter of the New Testament. 

We need to know the Word, so we can judge the truth of what we are taught.

MANY DON’T BELIEVE GOD SAVES, HEALS SETS FREE…

Why?

They haven’t learned to feed themselves… They only know what they have been taught. 

It is impossible to expect a Pastor or teacher to teach the Full Council of God.  We aren’t under his teaching full time.  

He can only hope to entice us to Seek the Lord ourselves. 

We must feed ourselves.  Pastors lead to the food source,  we must feed ourselves. 

G.  They reasoned in their hearts:

The Religious, the UNBELIEVING BELIEVERS:   Those who know the Lord, who when they hear or see something they have not seen or believed before, anything they haven’t been taught, will search the scriptures to prove it wrong.   Rather to see if it is true.

We need to be open to Revelation Knowledge.  Luther was, the Wesley’s were.  We need to FOLLOW JESUS… not them.

  Deuteronomy 29:29
“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

The Word never changes, the Spirit leads and teaches us to new understanding.   Growth in the Lord.

H.  Jesus perceived in His Spirit:  He knew their thoughts.

The Gift of a WORD OF KNOWLEDGE.   As He saw Phillip, under the fig tree, the Desciples out in the storm, before walking on water to meet them.

The Gifts of the Spirit, in 1 Corinthians 13 are ours for the building of His Church.  They are the STRAW TO MAKE THE BRICKS….  We see their use through out the Bible.

We need to be taught to recognize them.  Paul told us to seek the best gifts.  Which one is that?

The One we need right now.

I.  He wanted them to know HE IS GOD.

Enoch knew GOD IS AND HE IS A REWARDER OF THEM WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.

THERE IS NO EXPIRATION DATE ON THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. 

J.  Immediately  he was healed.  All were amazed and glorified God. 

I pray our hearts and minds are open to receive the Revelation Knowledge the Holy Spirit longs to share.

Seek His Face.  Amen

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ltjl98h4mv4vp8/20170102_122939.mp4?dl=0

Piano and vocal.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b6mxu0trmka7poy/mary%20did%20you%20know.%20vocal.mp4?dl=0

Luke 7:36-48.  Matthew 26:6-13

These two stories are similar, yet appear to be in different cities at different times.

Similarities are:

Both man named Simon.  One a Pharisee, the other a Leper.

an alabaster box of ointment,
an alabaster box of very precious ointment,

anointed feet with the ointment.
she hath poured this ointment on my body

The Differences:
The Disciples at one were concerned with the cost.
The Pharisee was concerned she was a sinner.

The woman at the Pharisees house, her sins were forgiven.
At the Lepers, she would be remembered for her love, in Annointing Jesus for burial.

Pharisees a sermon on forgiveness
Leper, a sermon on what was the more immediate need. “To seek and serve the Lord while He may be found.”

Is it possible that these two stories are one incident?   If I remember, I’ll ask Jesus next time we talk.   lol

We need to remember the impotent messages given in both.

Luke 7:36-48

36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

Matthew 26:6-13

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

Matthew 11:7-24. Luke 7:24-35

​We are turning now to some teachings of Jesus.

I am just a simple guy, who loves the Word and attempts to be obedient to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is asking why go out, and what did they expect, when they did go out to see John the Baptist.

His comments on their reactions.

“But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”

To me, “Wisdom is justified of all her children. “  Is the key to His message.   Are you open to the prophets teaching?  Or do you know it all.

In these scriptures we have Pharisees, (church leaders) and publicans, (tax collectors, sinners). The religious didn’t accept John’s Baptism, the publicans did.

Today we have so many sects in our Christianity.  Some are Baptist,  some Lutheran,  Episcopal, Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostal.   Why?

“Wisdom is justified of all her children. “

We all have our little corner of truth, we worship the right way, have the right Rituals, we preform Communion, Baptism, Marriage the way Jesus did it.

Our style of Praise is the only way to please the Lord.  We Worship, THE RIGHT WAY,  DON’T MESS WITH US.

When in reality, the way we DO CHURCH, has nothing to do with pleasing God.

It is all about what is comfortable for us, what pleases us.

We find comfort in our Rituals, our ways, our music and prayer.   Is it pleasing to God?  

It doesn’t really matter, it  pleases us.

Again, in these scriptures we have Pharisees, (church leaders) and publicans, (tax collector).   The religious didn’t accept John’s Baptism,  the publicans did.

Today, we have the religious, they have read and know the Word.  They have been taught what Luther, Wesley or Graham understood the meaning of certain passages and that’s what they mean.

They are comfortable in their understanding.   The Word hasn’t changed, so why should we?   Here’s why.

Ephesians 1:18

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,”

As we grow in the Lord, we should understand more and more perfectly.   Those scriptures that confuse or trouble us are like the Parables of old.

We must seek the understanding.  Be open to what the Lord is saying today.  That is how the great awakenings of the past happened.

It is people that need to be willing and able to change as the TRUTH OF THE WORD, is revealed.

If not, YOU MIGHT BE RELIGIOUS.

The Lord wants and needs us to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is He, that leads and teaches us all truth.

We can not go off on a tangent because we found one scripture that we like, the mouth of two or three witnesses, is our guide.

There should be several scriptures to validate any Biblical truth,  the scriptures have more authority then any man.

We need to listen to and trust the Holy Spirit.

Luke 7:24-35
“And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.
But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

But wisdom is justified of all her children.”
Matthew 11:7-24
“And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.”

Do you find it strange, even unbelievable,  that someone who loves the Lord, has been saved, sanctified, Holy Spirit filled and water baptized,  could lose their faith, even their Salvation.

Do you believe in “Once saved always saved”?

It is true in John 10:28 it says:

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

The problem is once saved, we do not lose our Freewill.  The Father did not stop the prodigal from leaving.  He also did not go find him.

The son, had the Freewill to return to the Father or stay away.  He was still a son, who left the family.  We have the same Freewill.

Even the greatest prophet, born of women:

Luke 7:28
“For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Who once proclaimed:
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Can be beat down to the point he asks:
“Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?”

The question, was not a sin, not a sign of falling away, but a plea, a cry for reassurance, for strength at a point of weakness.

The Lord was not upset, did not chastise,  He sent John’s disciples back, with Words of Truth to renew his faith.

“The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

Why did God do miracles?  Why do we need to learn and seek the Gifts of the Spirit?

Isaiah 41:20
“That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.”

The Lord used miracles in the Exodus to gather His people, Jesus used miracles to find those who would leave all and follow Him.

He gave us the Holy Spirit to continue His Work.  If He needed miracles, coupled with the TRUTH OF THE WORD, why do we believe Words alone are enough.

Paul tells us to “Seek the Best Gift.”

Which one is that?   The one needed now.

“And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

Matthew 11:2-6. Luke 7:18-23

Matthew 11:1-6

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

Luke 7:18-23

“And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.

And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.

Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

Most times we hear about these scriptures, the theme is. “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

Immediately, we know Jesus is speaking of the Centurion who’s servant was dying.  Who told Jesus, you don’t have to do this personally.

Just say the word, it will be done.  This is indeed great faith.  As well as a knowledge of the will of God.

3 John 1:2
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

We forget that the Lords will is for us to prosper.   Does this just mean financial prosperity?  No, but it is included, with physical and Spiritual health.

Some believe you cannot be a good Christian if you have money.   Dumb, dumb, dumb.

It’s not the condition of our bank accounts,  but the condition of our hearts that matter.

When you read these scriptures you come to Matthew 8:12, and find the “children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

What, the children cast out?  Can this possibly be true?  What is He saying?  What is the condition of their hearts?

If the Lord will cast out, even His original people,  the Israelites, who choose not to believe, so, where does it leave the unbelieving believers?

Who?  Those who believe in Salvation by Faith, but God doesn’t do that other stuff today.  (Like,speak to us, heal the sick, raise the dead, or have us speak in tongues ).

You know, that Supernatural Stuff.

The Biblical truth according to Jesus is:

John 14:11-12

“Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

So this brings me to the title of this post:

“As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.”

Belief, or Faith, can be seen… it is an action, James tells us faith without works is dead.

What are these works, tithing,  giving to the poor, feeding the hungry, bringing those who need the Lord, to the Lord.  (Tear off the roof if need be).

“As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee
To be healed, set free, find comfort, peace and joy….  We must believe.   “Lord, I believe,  help my unbelief.” 

Matthew 8:5-13.  Luke 7:2-10
Matthew 8:5-13

“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,   And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”

Luke 7:2-10

And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:

For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.”

After healing the man with the withered hand, He tried to find a place of peace.  A place of prayer, meditation,  a time of communion with the Father.

He had a problem: “A great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.”

Saints, I know, and understand, I am a broken record, but, our Churches today should be full, because:

“A great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.”

We should be seeking God and asking why we do not see His power in our lives.

In this post we find Jesus sending out the 12.  He didn’t say, go talk people into the Kingdom.

No, He sent them to show everyone, that, The Kingdom of God is at Hand.”  He gave them Power, He promised us Power.

He wants us to know Him and to accomplish His will.

“For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.”

Notice, they pressed in to touch Him.  Folks, that is what we need to do.  We must learn how to touch Jesus. “

You will tell me you pray, you read His Word, you even believe…  What more can I do?

Well what do you believe?

In Salvation for sure.  Maybe in healing?  Raising the dead?  Am I  nuts?

Yet, these are all things Jesus did, and told us, only believe, and these things I do and more shall you do.

Yet, we see very little Power.  Ahhh, here is your loophole,  He only ordained 12.

“He ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:”

Tell me something, why do you think He only choose 12?  Was there something special about these men?

NO, THEY WERE REGULAR GUYS, HARD WORKING,  MEN.  WHO WHEN CALLED, LEFT ALL TO FOLLOW HIM.

That is what made them Special, why He chose them, gave them His Power, sent them to Preach, Teach, Heal, and bring The Kingdom of God, to those without.

Have you left all to Follow Him?  Or are you one of the multitude, hoping to gain favor.

CHOOSE YE THIS DAY WHOM YE WILL SERVE,  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 

Whosoever will, the choice is yours.

Mark 3:7-15
“But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.

For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.   And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,   And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:“

Matthew 12:15-16,  10:1
“But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;  And charged them that they should not make him known:”

“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”

Luke 6:12-13
“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;”

“grieved for the hardness of their hearts.”

Jesus was Grieved, hurt, saddened.  Why?   The hardness of their hearts, their unbelief.  They simply misunderstood the meaning and reasons for the Commandments, the Laws, of God.

Jesus, was in the Synagogue on the Sabbath,  a man was there with a withered hand.   The religious were waiting to see if Jesus would work, (heal), on the Sabbath.   Jesus asked?

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good or to do evil?  To save life?  Or to destroy it?”

Throughout history, man has grieved God, with our actions, our unbelief, our disobedience, and or, our misunderstanding of His will and ways.

Genesis 6:6
“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”   (The Flood)

Psalm 95:10
“Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:”   (In the Desert)

Hebrews 3:10
“Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.”

Hebrews 3:17
“But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?”

We err in our hearts…

We do not know His ways…

We always have to improve the Word of God.  Like Eve, expand on it, not just eat, but “we cannot even touch it or we will die.”

If we don’t add to it, we make it a Ritual,  a Custom, a Doctrine.  I believe that is why we see Jesus using different ways to cure the sick, feed the hungry, share the truth.

We (mankind), love to go a step too far.   God told us this, so let us do that also.  Man added an  Extra 600+ laws, beyond Gods.

This one was simple.

Mark 2:27
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:”

Man was made on the sixth day,  the first thing man needed to learn was how to rest, trust and Rely on God.

We are still in the learning process.  Doing good or that which is right, is always pleasing to God.

Mark 3:1-5

“And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? 

But they held their peace.
And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. 

And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”

Matthew 12:9-13

“And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:

And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.”
Luke 6:6-10

“And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.“

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vimbfcqkezwpvdb/20161224_124227.mp4?dl=0

Piano:  Silent Night

I send this out, once again.  

Asking the best, the Lord has for my friends.  

The star shown above, to forecast His Love.

My prayer is that you accept Him.

Merry Christmas,  Don’t miss Him.

Remember when you first understood and accomplished, coloring within the lines. How proud, we were, to master this skill.

It was a sure sign of growing up.  We showed our work to any and all.

Adults today, are reminding themselves of this simple pleasure, with adult coloring books.  (We tend to hide them now).  

It is a pleasure to remind ourselves, that we are able to do something well.   Even a small thing, that we have had mastered, for many years.

In many areas of our lives, we live, walk and work between the lines.  We know what is expected, what needs to be accomplished, and how to get the job done.

So that is what we do.    We stay within our, acceptable boundaries of life.  

We all do it, we want life to be clean, orderly, predictable.   

When Jesus is Lord of our life, we can no longer stay between the lines.

Life gets to be unpredictable, our steps are now ordered by the Lord.   We are at times, brought face to face with the dregs of society. (He shows us ourselves, and we must deal with it).

When we begin to stay within the lines as Christians,  we lose our way.  

My writing, the last few months, has been, writing between the lines.  

I have not  received any Biblical Revelation, grown any closer to the Lord, or expressed any original thought.  

There has been no urgency, no overwhelming desire to draw anyone else closer to the Lord.

I haven’t been feeding myself, so all I have had to give, is old manna.   (Manna, needs to be new, gathered fresh, every morning, or it rots).

Am I able to blame it on company, for disrupting my study and prayer time?   Our Pastor leaving? Or the pain in my physical body?   Maybe a combination of all the above?  I can try? 

Sadly,…  All,….   Just Excuses. 

I need to get back in the Word.  Close the gap, that has widened between the Lord and I.  He hasn’t moved…  Guess who did?

I am a firm believer that the Lord speaks to those who will listen and obey, everyday.

I may not hear His voice, but I can know His will by reading and obeying His Word. 

The only difference between, the great men of faith and us, is:  When the Lord spoke, the great men, listened, considered and acted.

Us?  Not so much…  Our first thoughts are, “God, doesn’t do that anymore.”

Mary said:  What, How?”  Then more importantly:   “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”

Do you wish to be a great man or woman of God.  It’s OK, to wonder, What or How, as long as the result is. “According to Thy Word.”

Will you quit living between the lines, and say “YES LORD”.

Then you will have Manna, for others to receive.   All we can do is feed ourselves, and pray that others, will be encouraged to learn to feed themselves.

“We are a chosen generation , a royal priesthood, a holy nation,  a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;”  (1 Peter 2:9)

Get into the light, Praise The Lord, walk, live, draw, color, write, speak….OUTSIDE THE LINES.

THEN:…. Watch the Lord, break forth in your life.   Amen.

In January of 2016, I studied 1 John and the 12 reasons he gave for writing.   My list is much shorter.

“that your joy may be full”

I truly want people to experience fulness of joy, not happiness, not excitement but true heartfelt joy, that comes from knowing the Savior, in a real and personal way.

“that ye sin not”

That our lives would line up with His Word, and we would Walk in His ways.   We will never not sin, but we can live, forgiven and blameless in the Beloved. 

“that ye may know that ye have eternal life,

The realization that we do have Eternal Life, right now.  Without Jesus the Eternity we look to, is less then desired.   Separation from our Creator, our families, our loved ones and desires.

The Eternal Life we can know, when we have Jesus, is a time of no tears or fears…  When we have the desires of our hearts.   Our trials and troubles are washed away by His blood.

“That ye may believe on the name of the Son of God”

The sum of my writing.   That you might believe on the name of the Son of God.

I am inadequate, my words, my prayers, my desires.  All lacking.   If you will not believe Moses, you will not believe, the one raised from the dead.

I write in the hope that something will touch your  heart, mind, a chord within your Spirit.

That something will draw you close…  The Holy Spirit is in charge.  

It is always your choice. 

Today, is the day.  Tomorrow may be too late. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ne1hiubs0o981k1/piano%20%20What%20Child%20Is%20This.mp4?dl=0

Piano