Outposts

Still Hiding

These days, we are hiding from God, but it’s not a child's game, and there’s no laughing and giggling to it all anymore.
Gen 3:8-10, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself."  There are three significant words to note: afraid, naked, and the word for hiding.
 
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Who Are You Anyway?

Who Are You Anyway?
 Contrary to popular belief, we all really do need a mediator.  We have a conflict within us between life and death and there needs to be a judge and peacemaker to help resolve our conflicted thinking and crisis of conscience.        
 
         Hebrews 9:13-15, “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason, He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
 
         How will God reward us in Heaven when we have led a life of constant self-condemnation?  i think that for many of us, we’ve bought into the lie that we are alone and nobody cares, making it easy to aim our own condemning finger at ourselves.  Either way, it’s still all about ourselves… the consummate victim and martyr. Being a victim is as much about domination as being a controller.
 
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Ugh! Mammon!

... and the Lord said the way of mammon is death. 
Mammon elevates us in the moment, it spikes and then trails off in a negative direction… it starts high and then the thrill deteriorates until the next high… like drug use… we spend so much time trying to get back that initial spike of exhilaration, as a result, little by little we, pursue our devotion to stuff, and things, or for some maybe, the possibilities of fame and power, but it never quite becomes as satisfying and delicious as the first time we encountered “mammon”.
 
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Little Wisdoms 2

A few hard-won practical insights ...
Oftentimes, if we could hear what is in the silence of those around us, quite possibly we would find good reason to exercise great grace.  Silence speaks loudly if we are willing to listen.  Maybe fear holds people silent more often than we think; maybe most people really don’t know what to say – so they say nothing. We really, really need to learn to listen beyond just the words. i think maybe we’ve been taught to speak and to speak well, but it is rare to meet someone who has been taught to listen.
 
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Faith And Risk

Faith is the eternal optimist, risk is the eternal pessimist.
How do we act in faith and risk together?  What is risk to you and what parts of your life do you feel are your biggest risks?  If you know the truth, is there any risk involved? And, what is your idea of a necessary risk, responsible risk, irresponsible risk, and how does your choice of risk affect you and the people around you?
 
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The Champions Behind The Champions

Most of what we see is just the person at the microphone, but we can rest assured, that even the speakers who seem the most competent, well-spoken, and organized have a team of people behind them, making it all happen.  As to the behind-the-scenes workers, you, yes you – are the champions behind the champions.
 
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Illustrated Righteousness

Good works and the bottom line definition of "good".
What does the Lord mean when He uses the word “works”, and is there a difference between doing good things, and maintaining good works? 
 
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Safe Places

Is there any place that's actually safe?
 
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Related:
https://livinginhisname.org/meanderings/
 
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Little Wisdoms

Over time, the Lord has given me some little, hard-won wisdoms, and this evening i’d like to cover a few of what i’ve gathered...
 
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Stand UP Church!

Stand UP Church, we've got to get to our feet!
The word for “standing up” and “standing” was used extensively in the O.T., over 1000 times this expression is used in one capacity or another…. many times the entire nation of Israel was called to “stand before the Lord” in solemn assemblies…. The phrase “stand before Him” is an expression of dedication, allegiance, and service. Joseph stood before Pharoah, David before Saul, etc, etc and so the believer stands before the Lord in a position of obedience, respect, and readiness to serve.  When at church and the music starts, do most of us even know why we stand? Is it because someone told you to?  Is it blind habit, something we do because… well… it’s what we always do?  Maybe it’s that we see others stand and we don’t want to be the odd one out… and if no one told you to – would you stand anyway?  Why would you do that?  The wise take the time to carefully consider their motivations... Do you stand for righteous reasons?... What are your reasons for standing, or not?
 
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Eye Level

Eye Level
“Eye level” means getting next to people where your eyes and their eyes are on the same level, physically, metaphorically, and spiritually…. just like the Lord did with mankind through Jesus Christ…He got eye level with us. Up until the advent of Jesus Christ, the Lord was not “eye level” with us, but when Jesus came to town, God got right where He could look straight in the eyes of mankind. God gave us His face.
 
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...And So It Goes - Even So

And So It Goes - Even So
Even so, we go on... and so it goes... on and on...
 
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Faith Despite Dark Clouds

Faith Despite Dark Clouds - All other ground is sinking sand.
 
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Tick Tock!

The clock is ticking, where are you?
Jesus is coming back, and when the righteous are removed… the world will be left with nothing but the sound of their own breath and what remains of the world around them… how will it all look if there are no God-infused people around?
 
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The Strugglers

The Strugglers - Da' Struggle Be Real!
The topic is struggling and those in the Kingdom of God who struggle forward, whom i’ve dubbed “The Strugglers” for their valiance and passion to find some way to wrap their fingers and hands in the robes of God Himself.  We struggle to get up a hill and not fall backward, and then we struggle to get down the same hill trying to not fall forward.  Even so, the value of struggle is immeasurable and valuable.
 
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The Name

The Name above all names - Jesus!
God has given Jesus a crown of glory and honor and a good name, and having put everything under the feet of the Son, Jesus has dominion over all the works of His hands, including all animals, creatures, all birds and insects, all things which travel the pathways of the sea, in the earth, under the earth, and all the Heavens above. The name of Jesus is excellent in all the universe! i read once that the Father loves to hear us saying the name of His son… Jesus. His Name in my mouth is like tasting something delicious and sweet.  i consider all of the Lord’s doctrines, values, instructions, and requirements … to be right and righteous and no one can bend them to become something other than what they are.
 
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Poem of The Evening

Poem of The Evening
The summer evening seems like a conclusion to something somehow…the air is thick over the pavement and steadily cooling under the trees…there are car washers, hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, plan makers, and lawn rakers, twittering birds in trees settling in for the coming night… occasionally there are echoes of laughing children as moms urge them toward their evening chores.  The day is done and evening has come … it’s time to rest and rethink tomorrow.  We all started the day with mercies new, living and breathing a new beginning,  but evening, ahhh…evening … it poses refreshing and return, coming home again to find consolation in the sanctuary.
 
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Both Noun and Verb Altogether - Love

Fruit of the Spirit - Love
…is it really a secondhand emotion, and more importantly… is it just an emotion?  How can something which is sometimes considered “second hand” according to worldly standards, be a top priority with God and necessary for the repair of the universe?
The three fountains of God’s heart are love, joy, and peace… He oozes all three at a steady rate throughout the universe; consistent and repeatable.
 
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Melody of an Illuminated Heart - Joy

Fruit of the Spirit - Joy
Joy is associated with gladness, which can be a wonderful habit-forming inclination of the heart…it’s just downright contagious. How many of us see the Lord as a grouchy, unspoken, judgmental, person who seems to thrill at taunting us with silence and faintness? C’mon, be honest, you know who you are that thinks that stuff, i know i sure have. i think it’s a great question. How many of us see Him as a demanding taskmaster rather than a jubilant master whose joy we can step into? The service He requires of us even now is to be accomplished joyfully rather than sullenly. i mean, we know the Lord is always going to square things up, so what’s the point in being all foot-dragging and begrudging, walking around long-faced, and bitter acting? If you don’t have to, well…then don’t?
 
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FotS - Fierce Determination To Not Be Moved - Longsuffering

Fruit of the Spirit - Longsuffering
Longsuffering – patiently enduring while diligently clinging to the promise that God will do what He said He would do, and when He does, it will be a testimony to all who see. In the meantime, we develop an understanding of the Lord, coming to a better perception of what is in our hearts along with knowing God’s details.
 
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FotS - Extended Hands of Grace - Kindness

Fruit of the Spirit - Kindness
It is a kindness to keep our word…not keeping our word is a subtle betrayal, which isn’t something only common to enemies….it happens with the greatest frequency and impact with those closest to us.  It is kind to be loyal, and kind to be honest, yet still practicing kindness in our being honest.
 
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FotS - The Axle - Goodness

Fruit of the Spirit - Goodness
Goodness is intrinsic and essential to good works. From God’s perspective, doing good things is not His definition of “good works”.  In order to have “good works”, the foundational element of our character must be “goodness”… ”good” being born of God, because the Lord our God is the sole possessor of “good” in the universe… He is the standard of goodness.  From God’s perspective, without His goodness in us, our “good works” are considered “dead works.”
 
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FotS - Loyal, Dependable, Consistent, and Repeatable - Faithfulness

Fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness
Faithfulness is the concept of unfailingly remaining loyal to someone or something and putting that loyalty into consistent practice, regardless of extenuating circumstances.  If we’ve promised someone to be somewhere at a certain time, regardless of if something better comes along, we do what we’ve said.  If we’ve given our word to our kids to do something and the boss calls, we keep our commitment to the kids… being consistent and repeatable, thereby teaching them by example to be the same. Ultimately, faithfulness applies to God himself with regard to his perpetual love towards his children that is not dependent on their worthiness.
 
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FotS - The Way of a Lamb - Gentleness

Fruit of the Spirit - Gentleness
Gentleness and humility … humility being the driving motivation behind gentleness…. they are two important words representing character attributes, typically, only obtained thru the school of affliction. i believe, one of the outcomes of affliction…IS humility. None of us, wholeheartedly, go there, but, you know, there are some things which are only gotten by going through difficult trials, not that we would ever wish trials on anyone, BUT….more often than not, it is the only way to get God’s character worked in us. Those who go with God and endure the “educational institution of unhappy situations” have their sharp edges rounded off by circumstances, with the character of Jesus slowly being revealed in them like gold sticking out of the ground. Gentleness is a grace all believers possess, or at least, it is the Lord’s intention that the fruit of the Spirit is evident in us.  If Jesus has it, we can have it also.  Gentleness is…mildness of disposition, a natural inclination to kindness above violence; it doesn’t spring out of, nor rest upon a sense of worthlessness.  Ever.  A gentle heart is not a victim’s heart.
 
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