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Vision

Seeking a Greater Vision of God’s Glory

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The angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, a bush that was not consumed by the fire. God called Moses’ name and Moses answered, “Here am I.” God told Moses to take off his shoes for the place where he stood was holy ground. When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush while Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep in Horeb, Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God.
Exodus 3:6 – “Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”
Later, Moses desired to see more of God’s glory and asked God to grant this. Moses’ bold request to now see God’s glory unveiled shows that a transformation had occurred in Moses.
Exodus 33:18-23

18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Moses had seen the glory of God in His miracles in Egypt,  parting the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness, the thick smoke-filled cloud on Mount Sinai, and much more. He had seen “kabod”, the unmatched magnificence and incomparable power of God, but Moses asked for “Shekinah” glory, the “dwelling glory” of God- a life-transforming experience, to look upon His grandeur, His holiness, His divinity.
God told Moses that He could not let him see His face, His full glory because man could not see God and live. God told Moses that there a place beside Him, a rock to stand on, and when His glory passed by Moses, God would put Moses in the cleft of the rock and would cover Moses with His hand as he passed by. God said, “And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back part: but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:23) God had allowed Moses to see the glory that was to come through the promised one, Christ at Calvary. We can not see the glory of God in the flesh because the carnal is not of God, it is not spiritual. The flesh is incapable of comprehending God’s glory and majesty.
God’s glory is only revealed through His Son, Jesus. It is when a person is hid in the cleft of the rock, the chief corner stone, Jesus, that there is any access to God’s presence and glory. When Christ died on the cross and the soldier pierced Jesus’ side and forth came blood and water- the church was born, covered by grace and filled with the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost. The Father’s magnificent glory is revealed in the Son, and the Son’s glory is in the Father.
We are hidden completely from God’s wrath and righteous judgment at Jesus’ side alone. We are His bride on His arm- “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” ~ Song of Solomon 8:5
Moses desired and thus asked to see God’s glory, choosing the good part just as Mary did while sitting at His feet. A Christian should desire a closer relationship with Christ, listening, learning, being still at His feet and beholding His glory. We should be crying out to our heavenly Father, “God, show me Your Glory!”
 “In the year that kind Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple… The seraphim cried  unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” ~ Isaiah 6:1,3
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” ~ Revelation 21:23

The Mudroom

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First let me say that I am not a dreamer and very seldom ever have a dream that I can remember but I have had God show me things in dreams from time to time. Perhaps because I am simple in nature God quite often uses ordinary things or situations to reveal to me a greater spiritual meaning. I’m a firm believer that God knows how to speak to each individual in a way that they can understand.

The other night I had a dream about a huge wind storm. It wasn’t a tornado but almost to that point. I was in a house with my Mom and my aunt Gertrude (both already gone home to be with the Lord). We were watching the storm through the window when I noticed there were a Hispanic woman and two children outside in the woods. I knew they were in danger and wanted to bring them to safety. I opened the door and shouted to them that it was okay if they wanted to come in out of the storm. They came into house into the mudroom. A mudroom is a room at an entrance to a house where people can leave wet or dirty clothes or shoes before entering the main portion of the house. Since I didn’t know anything about who they were or where they came from I was hesitant about inviting them further than the mudroom. I then heard God speak to me and say, “I didn’t just bring you into the mudroom but I invited you to sit at my table, to sleep in my bed, to have full access to all that I have.” This convicted my heart. I knew my compassion and love were lacking. My love should reflect the same love that God has for me. It humbles my heart to know where He brought me from and I am now a joint heir with Christ-not an outsider. I have complete access to the Father’s house and all His benefits.

I began to study further on this thought and realized that so many times we are just satisfied to be in the mudroom. We are in the house and safe from the storm so we are satisfied with just being inside the fold without enjoying all of the blessings that God has for us. I was reminded of the scripture in II Kings 4:3 where Elisha told the widow woman that she needed to go and borrow vessels from her neighbors and to borrow not a few. I believe that the woman didn’t just knock on 3 or 4 doors to borrow the vessels but I believe that she went through the whole community and knocked on every door to borrow the vessels. Every vessel that she borrowed was filled with oil. She sold the oil, paid off her debt, and she and her children lived off the rest. Hallelujah for God’s amazing grace! If she had borrowed only a few, she might have paid off the debt but then she would have struggled with her everyday living to make ends meet. But her desire to borrow all that she could provided for her family for many days.

I also thought about another situation in II Kings 13:18-19. Joash, King of Israel, had come to visit Elisha who was sick. Elisha told him to take his bow and arrows. When Joash put his hand on the bow, Elisha put his hands over the King’s hands. He told Joash to open the window and shoot. He shot the arrows and Elisha declared this to be the arrow of deliverance from Syria. Elisha told Joash to take the arrows and smite them upon the ground. Joash smote the arrows three times and stopped. Elisha was upset with Joash and told him he should have smitten them five for six times and he would have smitten Syria until they were consumed whereas now he would only smite Syria three times. So many times God wants us to do something for him and because the situation may not improve immediately we get discouraged and give up. God wants us to serve him with a full heart to give him our all and to keep our faith strong and persevere regardless of the situation.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

Valley Faith: Finding The Rose of Sharon

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God is the beauty and hope in unlikely times and unlikely places

Song of Solomon 2:1-3

2 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

The rose of Sharon is a large hibiscus shrub. It grows about 12 feet tall, has large three-lobed leaves, and a lovely rose, purple, white or blue flower. The uniqueness of the rose of Sharon lies in the fact that it blooms at an unlikely time and in unlikely places. The rose blossoms in the fall, when few other shrubs are in bloom. It grows well in unfavorable conditions and does not seem to be partial to the city or the country.

Unfavorable growing conditions? In our honest moments we sometimes marvel that the soil of our lives could produce anything beautiful. It is full of the stones of selfishness, the weeds of deceitfulness, and the acidity of our pride. Yet the Rose of Sharon persists, blooms, and grows, even when other plants are dormant.

The lily is a very noble plant in the East; it grows to a considerable height, but has a weak stem. The church is weak in herself, yet is strong in Him that supports her

While it doesn’t look like God is among you it is simple not in natural view. If you pray you will see him.

Hebrews 11:2-4

2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

If we never endure the valleys we will not learn to hope when we are struggling to survive.

James 1:12

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Faith Breaks The Walls Down

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Joshua 3:9-17

[9] And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
[10] And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
[11] Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
[12] Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
[13] And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
[14] And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
[15] And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
[16] That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
[17] And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

They crossed the Jordan River and were reminded of the Red Sea. This was a confirmation moment for Joshua to realize his authority in God and the favor he was given to lead the children of Israel.

Joshua 6:1-2

[1] Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
[2] And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

It was humanly clear: scale the walls, beat down the gates, and tunnel in at night. At least for our human perspective the only way to take things are by our own devised cunning strategy and force of will.

Joshua 5:13-15

[13] And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
[14] And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
[15] And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Encounters with God empower faith.

Joshua 6:3-14

[3] And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
[4] And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
[5] And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
[6] And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.
[7] And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
[8] And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
[9] And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
[10] And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
[11] So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
[12] And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
[13] And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
[14] And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

All of God’s blessings come by faith.

Faith requires our obedience.

Faith without the works of obedience is dead.

We will reach our blessings by abiding in faith!

Just think of how foolish that it must have appeared to look to those that were residing in Jericho. God’s plan takes that appearance to the world, but if we will abide in His will and plan we will overcome!

Where There Is No Vision

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Today our devotional will be from Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish“

First of all, I want us to think about our natural vision. The most vital square inch of our body is the eye. We need good vision to function in our daily lives. Of all the senses that we have, I feel that vision would be the hardest to learn to live without.

Many people learn to live without vision, but are limited in their activities, often times they suffer from depression or discouragement; especially those who once were able to see and then lost their vision.  In your Christian life, do feel limited, or feel like you are not as strong or as true a Christian as you used to be?

To be a strong Christian in Church, we need to have good spiritual vision.  The Bible says that “where there is no vision the people perish” What is spiritual vision?  The ability to see what God want us to see; to have a spiritual discernment of the situations we face, to be able to look beyond the heartaches, the trials, and disappointments of life, to look beyond our own needs and desires to see the needs of others, especially those that are stumbling around in darkness because they have no vision.

Naturally speaking, it takes light to have vision. The light is reflected in the eye to different nerves that send messages to the brain that lets us interpret what we are seeing: the colors, the distance. Spiritually speaking, it takes the Holy Spirit to have a spiritual vision.  Before Christ came the Old Testament speaks of the time when there was no open vision. In other words only those that were priests or prophets were able to see what God wanted and what God could do for them.  When Christ came He opened up the way so that every individual could have this open vision.

The natural vision may vary from person to person, depending on health, age, disease.  Some folks have what we call 20-20 vision, which is considered the best. Others have less because of something that has hindered their vision. Sometimes glasses, contacts, or medications are used to improve the vision. If we had to gauge our spiritual vision, what would it be? 20-20, 20-50, or 0-0? If we recognize that our spiritual vision is dim, what can we do to improve or make it brighter?

If you are having vision problems and you go to the eye doctor, first of all he will check to see if there are any impurities or foreign objects in your eye that could be causing the irritation or problem.  First of all, let’s examine our lives and see if there is something in our heart that refuses to let God’s spirit work in our lives. We all know that only one thing separates us from God and it is SIN. Perhaps it is just the sin of idleness or worry or perhaps it is a little jealousy or an old grudge. Whatever it is, it will block your spiritual vision. To get rid of it we need to sincerely repent and ask God to forgive us. We need to understand that the world is such a dark place and people are going to Hell every day, and they need us to have the best spiritual vision we can to help them see the light.

Once the doctors removed the impurities or foreign objects from our eyes, you may have to have some type of medication or therapy to strengthen the eye muscles.  Spiritually speaking, it works the same with God. Once he has forgiven us, we need to work to increase our vision. Reading His word and praying are the two best medications you can use in your Christian life to gain strength and increase your vision. Exercising your faith when God asks you to do something will also make you a stronger Christian and bring you closer to him. Determine in your heart that you want to be closer to the Lord, to see more of His majesty and to have more of His spirit working in your life.  Obey when He speaks. Be humble! Know it is just His great mercy that lets you exist.  Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Press forward to the mark. Let that vision lead you home.

There are some great examples of God’s people that had visions throughout the bible. One of them was Job. He had a vision of his Redeemer. He knew that no matter what he suffered in this life that he would behold his Redeemer. It didn’t matter if his flesh had rotted or he had no natural eyes to see with, he would still see Him for himself. He had a vision that went beyond the grave. All of God’s children have this same assurance. Many times we just fail to look beyond the daily toil of life to see that our Redeemer is waiting on us and it is just a short time until we will see Him.

Nehemiah’s Vision of the Wall is one that I love to read about Nehemiah and his labor on the wall. First of all he was away from Jerusalem down in another land. Some of his countrymen were passing through and he asked them about the state of Jerusalem. They began to tell him of the sad condition of Jerusalem, how the walls were broken down. Nehemiah’s heart was broken by this news because he loved Jerusalem.  He began to seek God’s face and ask for his help and guidance. God worked and soon Nehemiah was on his way down to Jerusalem with a job to do. Now remember he was just one man, but look at the difference he was able to make because he was obedient to God’s command.

Nehemiah didn’t have a vision of the broken down city but he had a vision of what the city could be once the walls were rebuilt and the people united. Many times we look at our little church and think “well we don’t have too many people” and “we can’t do much” and so we just sit where we are. We need to be more like Nehemiah with a vision of what our church could be and how that lost people could be saved. It took obedience both from Nehemiah and the people to build the wall. It took unity of spirit and it took love. It took perseverance. Nehemiah and the people made up their minds they would rebuild the wall or would die trying. We need to be willing to fight the good fight.  I’m sure they got weary and we can read how that Satan tried to discourage them continually, but their vision was strong. They knew God would deliver as He had promised if they would just do their part.

If you look in Ezekiel 37, you’ll read about another hopeless situation where Ezekiel was placed in the valley of the dry bones and God told him to preach. I’m sure he could have made excuse after excuse why there was no need to preach to this bunch of dry bones. I suppose that is how many pastors feel when they preach to their congregations.  “What good will it do?  They are just hearers and not doers.” But Ezekiel believed God.  It was that simple. He believed that if God asked him to do something there was a good reason for it. He didn’t have to understand every detail but he just believed.

Many times God wants to work miracles in our lives and we have so little faith that we will not believe and He can’t do for us like He would desire to do. Ezekiel just kept preaching and soon those old bones began to move together and flesh began to come upon them.  They began to gain some strength. Then the breath moved into them and they were an exceeding great army. Again, look at what one person accomplished through his obedience to God. Don’t ever think that you don’t matter in God’s work. He needs every member of his Church. He needs us to be obedient. He needs for us to have that spiritual vision that will let us see beyond all of the negatives that Satan presents to us.  If we have good vision, we can see the fiery darts coming and can hold up our shield of faith.

John’s Vision on the Isle of Patmos was surely one of the greatest visions that one of God’s children could ever see. John saw that number that no man could number. He saw those that had had their robes made white with the blood of the Lamb. He saw me and he saw you in that number. There have been times in my life when I too have caught a glimpse of that heavenly number, that heavenly throne, that heavenly place that we are going to. We need to look beyond the present time and look to that great homecoming. This would certainly encourage our hearts when we are distressed. It would cause us to lift up our head and know that our redemption draweth nigh. It would let us praise our wonderful Savior no matter what.

So please, look to the Lord, pray about your vision, that it might be increased that we can see what God wants us to see!

The 3 Keys of Joseph

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Hello and welcome to the Heart of Grace Broadcast today. It’s a pleasure to have you here, and I hope that what you hear today, you take away and apply in your life, that it be a blessing and help you to grow and be a better you.

Know that no matter where you are right now, that God is with you, and that He is your joy and your strength, no matter how tough things may get, and no matter how far that you feel like that you may get out there.

Today I want to talk about the story of Joseph. If you were a person that grew up in church, I am sure that you had this story drilled into your head at some point in your life. And if you haven’t heard about Joseph at all, and this is the first time for you, let me give you some background.

Jacob, the son of Isaac, married Leah and Rachel and had twelve sons. Jacob favored and loved his eleventh son Joseph the most among his brothers. This made Joseph’s brothers jealous and cruel with him. One night, Joseph dreamt that he and his brothers were binding bundles of corn in field, and that his brothers’ bundles bowed down to his bundle. Another night, he dreamt that the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed before him. Joseph told his father and his brothers about these dreams. This made the brothers more jealous and full of hate towards their little brother Joseph. The brothers decided to get rid of Joseph.

This is where the start of Joseph’s troubles began, and where I want to start talking about the points that God has given me today.

There are going to be times in your life when you face situations that are beyond your control.

You may face being rejected by others. Joseph was rejected by his brothers from the favor he received from his father Jacob. You might actually be forgotten. Joseph was put into the pit and regarded as dead by his brothers to his father Jacob. You might face temptation. There was a woman that tempted Joseph, to which he resisted. You might face unjust punishment. Joseph had to face the consequences for a crime he didn’t even commit. You could be betrayed by others. Joseph faced betrayal from his brothers. You might be falsely accused. Joseph was falsely accused for the temptation he did not commit.

Joseph faced a lot of these same hard times as well.

He was thrown out into the pit, pretty much left for dead. He was sold out into slavery and tempted, did nothing, and still faced time in jail for something he did not do. Through all of the trials he went through 13 years of bondage. But there were things from the beginning that Joseph possessed, that nothing anyone threw in his way could try and stop him.

First of all, Joseph had a CALLING

He was a dreamer, you see, and could interpret dreams. You have a calling on your life to do something amazing

2 Timothy 1: 8-9 says

[8] Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
[9] Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began

Secondly, Joseph had a PURPOSE

He showed mercy to his brothers, even though they wronged him. He blessed the land in that time with giving bread, despite being forgotten. He was cast into prison, but gave a message of deliverance despite being left behind. He was recognized as a person having the spirit of God.

Finally, Joseph had FAVOR

He went from being considered dead, to a slave, to being in jail, to being a governor over all of the land of Egypt.

Romans 8:26-28 introduces a key passage that applies to what He went through as well as how it applies in our current lives today:

[26] Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
[27] And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

You might feel like today that you are in the pit, or forgotten, or bound up in your own mind, facing unjust things, or dealing with rejection from others, or Lost out in this world.

But I’m here to tell you that you have a way out. You have a way of escape from the way that you are feeling, from the load that you are carrying, and the feelings of rejection that you have inside.

Matthew 11:28-30 says

[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Today, as we bring the message to a close, take this opportunity to come unto God, and lay down the heavy burden that you may be feeling in your heart. Don’t fear of what people may think about you, for this is the best decision that you could ever possibly make. I encourage you to be brave and go for this as fast as you can. It’s worth it; I promise you that you will never be the same.

You do not have to walk this life alone. And we at Heart of Grace are with you in this fight; we are praying for you, that you come forward and be those brave people. See, we’re standing with you and we believe together that you can make it, and that with God all things are possible. Through Christ Jesus all things are possible, and with his spirit in our life, all things are possible!

God Bless You!