"To be willing to march into Hell for a Heavenly cause..."

Strong words set on foundations of the absolute...That is what truth is.

I humbly boast that most of my friends are steadfast in their belief.

I reel in the knowledge that some of those beliefs are founded in deception.

That is the singular reason that I entered an accredited Bible College over twenty years ago. So that I could learn, how to learn, and expose the deceptions for what they were.

In every instance, truth is subverted in an effort to gain control over the soul, or the spirit of the man (human) that has been awakened to the life of faith, belief, and trust. There is a horrific battle raging in the spirit realm, and the enemy is relentless launching his attacks from every possible direction. Some of these launching points are the minds and mouths of those we have chosen to be friends with, or family...they are the worst.

**Side note #1** For any of my family members who may be reading this, whenever you playfully remind me that I was born after you, or the fact that you changed my diapers, you are effectually diminishing the power of the words of truth I may share. Allow me to gently remind you that in July of 1989, the baby you knew, and the young man you abandoned, ceased to exist, and the Man of God who stands before you now came into being. Set, established, and filled with the Spirit of the living God. Who, by the way. created an adult male when He formed Adam from the dust.

  I can grind on that axe later.

Today, our fight is against the deception of the masses, and truth really does need every heart and mouth to engage, to dispel, the very spell of deception which has been cast over the whole of the earth.

The Prophet Isaiah spoke of this deception recorded in the book of Isaiah 60:2.

Sadly, when brave men begin to speak truth, their words are instantly measured against the findings of the court of popular opinion, or reasonable rhetoric. It seems every mouth out there has been filled with a dissenting comment, attacking truth, and to the logical mind...these reasonable-rhetoricals, are hard to refute...because they are reasonable. But in my walk of faith, I have found that Faith, hope, trust, love, and belief, can lay absolute waste to facts and figures.

Case #1. My child was stricken with a debilitating muscular disease, there is no known cure. Nevertheless, she was healed of this disease, and the damage that was done by it, was reversed...yep...her muscles regenerated. Miracle

Case #2. My friend went into surgery to remove a proven cancerous spot, when the surgeons opened him up...they could find no cancer. Miracle

Case #3. My loving bride suffered from a breathing disorder, and after many prayers, and many frustrations, she was healed. Miracle

Case #4. I took a severe fall, and was told I would not survive the night, then I was told that I would never walk again, yet here I am, tapping away at a keyboard, and will get up and walk to my kitchen for my third cup of coffee. Miracle...the walking part...not the coffee.

Case #5. An associate was contemplating suicide, I prayed for wisdom, and engaged with him. The words flowed through me like a fountain, and not only was the young mans life preserved, he gained eternal life thanks to the Faithfulness of My Heavenly father. Miracle

Yet when I try to reveal the truth of current events, specifically speaking about the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of face masks, and how our country has an enemy in a Totalitarian extremist, I am shouted down, made to feel guilty, selfish, and hypocritical, by friends and family, who with one breth will swear their undying allegiance to our relationship, and in the next falsely accuse me of having a murderous heart.

**Side note #2** Make no mistake, there is murder in my heart...and it is only through the magnificent deposit of eternal salvation that has been bestowed upon my unworthy soul, that keeps a double handful of people alive...you know who you are...((Not really...those people are not my friends, nor acquaintances)) (((You are all safe from me))) In fact...I have come to realize that many of you out there have testimonies that are more important than mine, and I am charged with protecting you, so that your voice can be heard.

However there is an inconvenient stipulation on those testimonies...they have to be true. They Must be based in truth, and not just the stuff of sensationalized rhetoric, they must give God all glory.

So here is where I put my faith...it is in the Helmet of Salvation.

this helmet protects me from; injury, sickness, disease, fear, famine, lust, attack and death.

I will tell you for free, that no manufactured filtration mask will stop a virus...but my helmet stops viruses, it stops bullets, it stops cancer, it stops diseases, it stops sicknesses, it stops suicides, and most importantly, it stops my own heart from deceiving me.

So I ask this of you, before you decide to shout down the truth that I am delivering, will your rhetoric pass cleanly through the face guard of YOUR own helmet of salvation? Will your testimony make it through the Filter of Absolute truth? Oh don't get me wrong...you can shout your beliefs to the top of your lungs...but are your beliefs based in truth, are they based on Gods word? I'll wait...

So here we are, standing together on a road that is bound for Hell, and I am inviting you to walk out of this enemy territory, and to link arms with those of us brave enough to stand against the fiery attack on the very truth that has set us free. Come with me...lets dare...to dream "The impossible dream".

Condemn not, lest you be condemned

  I have many acquaintances, but very few real friends, and even fewer dear friends and so when a dear friend sends me a question, I feel I should respond with an answer that practices full disclosure. My dear friends know me better than anyone, and have seen me at my worst and best, but even very few of them have seen the whole walk that has made me who I am. Not that I am all that important, but when someone feels they need to have a look under the hood, I will shine as bright a light as I can so that nothing is hidden, You will see why in a few minutes.

  The question came in response to several social media posts that I made,clearly shunning the compliance with the wearing of face masks, to "Contain the strain" of the COVID-19 Corona Virus. And more specific, how the writing of the Apostle Paul, as recorded in the 14th chapter of the book of Romans, is applicable in this circumstance.

  First off, my greatest respect, to anyone who finds inspiration for life and how to live it from the written word of God. There are so many types, styles and opinions, that keeping the Holy Bible as a foundation for life is a difficult endeavor, and many of my peers have abandoned its teachings for other, newer, more relatable writings. Having been a serious study of the Word of God for many years, I totally understand why, to put it simply, to gain a full understanding of the Word of God, one must have a firm understanding of 'who the message is being delivered too.

  There are those who will say that "Every" scripture, is meant for "Everybody". And while the common man can find inspiration from every word, a stern warning from God to a King, delivered through a Prophet, dealing with a real time threat, may not be as applicable today as it was when King Hezekiah was dealing with the blasphemous Rabshekah, recorded in 2 Kings 18:28 through 19:31. Don't get me wrong, I bring nasty threatening letters to the altar of God on a regular basis, but I have no delusions of grandeur, I am no king. Rather I do this as 'An Act of faith'.

  There are a few messages to 'the people', but there are more that are delivered to 'The Prophets', or the leadership of the house of faith. If you have read through the account of Hezekiah and Rabshekah, then you are aware that God gave a word of peace to the King, that filtered down to the people. Often times the word of God is delivered to bring the leadership of faith, into correction. See Ezekiel 13:1-3. Again any person may find inspiration in these warnings, but unless one is currently spreading about; false teachings, or false doctrines, then these warnings do more to enrich our understanding of God, than bring correction to our humble hearts.

  Laced within the writings are messages to individual men like; Jonah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, and Enoch, and several that were meant as specific foretelling delivered to Daniel, Isaiah, Joel, John the Baptist and John the Revelator. These books and letters of prophesy when studied closely, so brilliantly encapsulate the creation, birth of a nation, deliverance and eternal liberation of a chosen people, but they are fluid and difficult to pin down when one attempts to define where they are in "real time", in relation to the prophetic words.

  Then we have the messages that are to be delivered, "to the people". The Apostle Paul, was an Apostle who was assigned to reach the Gentile People, and so, many of his letters were just for that purpose, as guidance for a lost flock of sheep. Paul did write the occasional letter to someone in a leadership role, but those are easy to spot, as they are addressed to one person. Timothy, Titus, Philemon. The rest were to congregations, hence the softness of the tone in Romans 14, "If someone is of weaker faith, don't damage them" (Paraphrased). Compare that with a very strong charge, " For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)

  Well shouldn't all our messages be laced with the love of God? If we show people how wrong and foolish they are, they could become offended, and we will drive them away from God instead of leading them to God. I cannot argue with that logic, so I will cut straight to the chase. Two years ago, I received a Revelation from the Holy Spirit, telling me that a wave of great deception would sweep across the globe. Baal worship would increase, and even people who self identify as Christian, will unwittingly deceive many, by aligning themselves by word and action with the great deceiver himself. The Holy Spirit told me to become a modern day Gideon (Jeru baal which literally means let Baal contend) to boldly speak against the deception, the human sacrifice, the bestiality, and wanton infidelity. To put the Prophets of Baal to the edge of the sword, and reveal when people are being lied to. the truth is, I spent about eight years in a psuedo-christian cult, that preyed upon the faith and belief of thousands of people. It was an absolute act of Divine Mercy that delivered me and my precious wife out of it, and remembering the hurt, the ridicule, and the chicanery that was a part of that whole deception, has kept my eyes open to what is happening all around us. I humbly asked the Holy Spirit to (Like Gideon) give me a sign, a word, a marker, anything, and the words came clearly to me..."Ezekiel chapter 3"

  Did you see what I did there? in case you missed it, I will tell you plainly, I am a prophet of The Most High God, my trust in Him is perfected in Christ Jesus, I will do...only what the Holy Spirit instructs me to do, and I will not...wear a mask...before my God. I will not ACT, in such a way, that denies my faith, I will not condemn the weaker of faith, but I will lead by example. Not like some Governors I have heard of.

Purely Fiction

I tried my hand writing fiction a number of years ago, I had decided to use Biblical references and characters to impart some deeper meaning to some of the profound truths that I had discovered in the Holy Bible. I got a check in my Spirit, and after fasting and much prayer, I abandoned the novel based on the understanding that I would be taking deep truths and bending them to a narrative. I am not saying there is anything intrinsically wrong with this, for Heavens sake, Jesus revealed deep truths through parables, so no there is nothing wrong with this. I have just tightened my focus to reveal these deep truths through real time and applicable observations. I enjoy this and find it very rewarding.
I have said all this because a scenario has presented itself to me, as if it were a fictional story, waiting to be tapped out and published as an International political thriller. I am going to throw together my notes, and submit it for your perusal and I welcome comments.
I am not claiming any inside information, I have not researched any of the scenarios I am presenting here, in my heart and mind, they are purely fiction.

1. Scene opens in a quiet back room of a Chinese national home. A meeting of Radicalized protestors is beginning to take place, one of the attendees, offers the idea of open protests in the capitol city. unknown to the other attendees this person is a govt operative, and is one of many who have infiltrated the freedom protesters, and as planned, protests begin in the city of Hong Kong.
2. Several weeks pass by with no major incidents, and also no major arrests which is out of character for the Communist Chinese Government, suddenly news breaks of an infectious virus sweeping across another province, and all protests are swiftly and succinctly shut down, with no violence or loss of municipal resources.
3. "We must see how the free nations will respond to this" Infectious disease information begins to leak, and while world governments begin to respond, UN, WHO and CDC, complicate government officials aid in the spread of fear, without any real eviddence, the world has shutdown essential sevices, and planted a social phobia in the minds of law abiding citizens.
3. All manner of public service announcements are made further programming the world populace, and demanding that guidelines be set and followed to the strictest of degrees.
4. Scene opens with influential world and business leaders, discussing how to implement the New World Order, using a tainted vaccination, and proven quarantine measures that isolate and sequester, those who are brave enough to resist.
What if all this is a test run?
Somebody wrote the book, script and screenplay to "V for Vendetta", it dealt with a totalitarian government that controlled its citizenry through media manipulation and fear. Why do I feel like we are living through a novel, and not a novel pandemic?
Seriously friends, I am afraid to research this out, I am afraid of what I might find, and more afraid of the retribution my soul would exact on the perpetrators if this scenario is true.
let me know what you all think, either here or email. lets not comment on this in an open forum.
Thanks
BK

"See to it that no one misleads you." Part 2

The dream that came to me March 21, 2020 is the culmination of all the Spiritual dreams I have had since becoming Born Again. These dreams are significant to me because against my natural tendencies to forget, I can remember in great detail the images and feelings those images invoked. When I look at them sequentially they spell out a broad plan of what worship of our Heavenly Father will look like as we rocket headlong into what is unknown to us, but is recorded and planned by Him.

It has been a little over a full month, and the scope of this post has grown exponentially. My hope is that my readers will allow this to inspire them to dig deeper, while continually praying for wisdom, and remembering that "We are our own chief deceivers". We must also put away the influences of our jobs, coworkers, friends, and pastors, as absolutely no one is has escaped this trial. Our very lives are being called into question, as a testimony to the truth, that can only be found in the written and living Word of God.

A spirit of deception has been loosed over all the earth, there is not one aspect of our lives that have not been infiltrated, I thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit which leads us into all truth.

In the movie "Excalibur" Merlin quotes "It is the doom of men, that they forget." and there are a few things that I have made constant reminders of, that have allowed me to see past the deception and break away from it. These will sound both very basic, and impossible at the same time.

Husbands must remember to "Offer themselves up...to sanctify". A man may have a calling, or mandate from the Father, This is HIS mission, it is the womans responsibility to 'stand in support of' (this is what the word submission really means) that mission or mandate. A woman may have a calling or mandate from the Father, it is the mans responsibility to create the atmosphere for that mission or mandate to be fruitful (submit one to another) TRUTH: Our first calling is to become one flesh. we must always endeavor to achieve this. We can never rest in this pursuit, here's why. The unified creature (The Married couple), and message it brings, is greater than the individual. It is greater than the the two individuals combined. Don't laugh at my fuzzy math...because when a Man and woman come together, consummate their union, the fruit is multiplication...not addition. The WE that my wife and I have become, is much greater than the two of us combined. TRUTH: My wife may never reach the level of maturity or anointing that I have, but that is not mine to know or judge. I must always offer grace, cover, and makeup for her shortcomings. I may never attain the level she has reached, the couple must have an unmitigated grace over each other, and it should never be weighed in the balance of performance. It is not proper for me to expect that any human attain a level of perfection that I have deemed appropriate, this is the first leap into arrogance. It stinks of the first deception. "For when you eat of it, your eyes will be open, and you will be like God...". We should never point out where someone else...lacks (sin). And we should always endeavor to cover (make up the difference) Like God did for the Nation of Israel as recorded in Ezekiel 16. TRUTH: Our ministry should not be to people, but to God, as a bond servant not paid performer. For His convenience, not my rest. To an audience of ONE (Echad) not a full house or growing congregation. What...? You have a huge church? Multiple campuses? Six figure tithe base? Perhaps you should read Ezekiel 44: 10-14. allow me to paraphrase..."I have given them their ministry, and all the outward signs of success...but they will not Come Near Me to minister unto ME." The only sure way I have found, (and this is because I have offered up this prayer of "Lord, teach me your ways, that I may walk in them" for many years) Love my Brother/Sister/Bride, as Jesus loved the Father, and offer myself up, so that the bride may be restored to the Father. I do this by faith, it is much easier to tolerate human frailty, than to hang upon a cross, in the same vein it is much easier to be lifted from the waters of Baptism, than to walk out of the grave, yet I do that by faith. Here is a truth...my first ministry is to my spouse. God is not so jealous that if I knowing cast my Agape (the gift of pure perfect love He gave me) onto His child, (my spouse) KNOWING that one day Jesus will look at me and say, "when you showed love...to the least of these...MY BRETHREN...you have done it unto me", That He would say...hey there buddy, you set your wife up as an idol before me. (Worst excuse ever for neglecting one's duty as the HUSBAND)

Three simple but nearly impossible truths, that deal with our basest of life's struggles, and across the board from heathens to apostles, the spirit of arrogant deception, has blinded us from becoming the fullness of MAN, that God expected of Adam and Eve. And yet we leap headlong into Politics, Justice, National law, Globalism, and world finance...when we cannot get the basics right. How far away from the truth has this spirit lead us? Pastors are divorcing their wives, Youth and Music ministers are committing suicide, leaders of large churches are being indicted for human trafficking...AND THIS IS IN HIS HOUSE!!! We have become willfully distracted from His truth, and as a result...He has...spoken...against us.

Even in the dictionary, Repentance comes before Rest...

Daniel 9:4-19
 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, ⁵ we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. ⁶ Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.
⁷ “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. ⁸ Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; ¹⁰ nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. ¹¹ Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. ¹² Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. ¹³ As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
¹⁵ “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. ¹⁶ O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷ So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” "Send us Your truth, reveal your ways, so that we may walk in them, show us our identity, In Jesus...and in Jesus name we pray."

We must lay down our lives, more importantly we must lay down...the expectations that we thought or think our lives are supposed to be, and trust...that God...will be who He said He IS. Because ultimately...He makes up for...everything we lack. Yes I want to BE...LIKE God. in my sacrifice (forgiveness) and devotion (faithfulness), mercy, long-suffering, goodness, trustworthiness, and truth...it always comes back to truth. Jesus said, "I Am the truth...". No...I don;t need the Knowledge...I only need trust. That...is what Adam...lacked.

and Jesus answered and said unto them...Part 1

Numbers 12:6

⁶ He said, “Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision.
I shall speak with him in a dream.

It has been a while since I last had what I know to be a spiritual or prophetic dream, in fact for a little over a year now my dreams have been the stuff of vocation, situation circumstance and happenstance. Only here recently have the pressures of work, performing at a high level, have been removed, and my dreams have become more calm and have been the stuff of normalcy. I like the Phrase Charles Dickens penned, "There is more of Gravy, than of Grave about you". Yep, that is fairly accurate, but last night, March 21st into the 22nd, 2020, I had one of the most poignant dreams, so clear, and so targeted, that I am not compelled to test the interpretation. To be straight forward, the imagery I witnessed last night has been floating around in my Spirit for nearly thirty years, with no connections, no order, no rhyme or reason. Last night...the whole puzzle came together, fit and trim like a moving photograph. I am so relieved...and terrified at the same time.

I have a good friend that I have known since he graduated High School. He was raised by parents of great faith, and following the call of God, he attended multiple colleges and has been deeply educated in the matters of theology, faith, and Church administration. He is currently serving as a senior Pastor of a vibrant and growing congregation. Many years ago, the Holy Spirit revealed to me a plan for the generations, and He used the image of this young man to do so. This dream was not a warning for my friend, but rather a statement to and for the generation he represents. We will call him Craig.

In my dream
Craig had left his position to be employed by the same organization as me. I was dressed in a military style uniform, and I wore the rank of a commanding officer. Craig and I were assigned guides/mentors, who were familiar with the systems and protocols that had been in place, and we were to be given orientation, trained, and familiarized with theses protocols before we could be cleared to begin our work.
The facility was immense, and it was a brand new Government funded operation. The facility was kept underground, and was connected to other immense facilities by a system of tunnels. The unoccupied areas were stark white, clean and pristine, outfitted with state of the art amenities and appliances. Once we were oriented with the staff and faculty, and the layout and function of each area, we were transported by underground bus, to an area where residents were being housed.
this part of the facility had the appearance of great age, and lack of any type of hygiene. Residents meandered about in a state of dull slow confusion. Some were induced to this state by medications, while others were in this state because of their health or lack there of. The walls were covered in filth. dirt, excrement, spit and dried mucus. 
I asked my guide why this area had not been maintained, he informed that this area was as new and as pristine as the area we had just left, but the residents willfully and purposely dirtied the walls and halls as it was a comfort to them. "This makes them comfortable?" I asked. "They prefer the familiarity of their filth." was my guides reply.
Residents were dressed in normal everyday clothing, many were retired, or well aged. There were fewer middle aged, and even fewer young, and very few children. There were people of every race and walk, male and female, highly educated to the basest of simple. And they were all mad. Demented chaotic confused unbalanced, they were unyielding and rigid, demanding of attention and greedy. They were violent and unreasoning. At one point Craig and his guide were attacked by a small group, and Craig's' uniform was left torn and bloody, he had been stabbed in the back showing three very distinct wounds, caring only for his young family, he was nearly inconsolable saying, "We are only here to help these people, why would they do this? Father forgive them, for they certainly do not know what they are doing."
As I watched and pondered, the understanding came to me, that these residents were under a state of deception, delusion and defilement. They would not act any differently because they could not act differently. Their minds were so plagued by the comfortable and addictive status quo, that stepping into the newness of the rebirth, had become repugnant to them. They were alive...waiting to die. They were deceived and unwilling to hear or learn truth. I sat on the bus with my guide and Craig, waiting to be transported back to the new clean facility. I was desperate to know if I could make a difference, desperate to know if these people could be redeemed, reclaimed, and my guide said, "See to it that no one deceives you...for many will come in..."(Waking up) I open my eyes and hear "My Name...".

 It is all tied together

Matthew 24:2 Jesus says "...there will not be one stone upon another..." I have always known (always since being born again) that this statement was a warning that the church that we know, would be laid waste, razed, destroyed, dismantled. 
I have always believed the Word that Father God has revealed to me, but I was hesitant to think that it would happen within my lifetime...but here we are. 
The 24th chapter of Matthew is playing out right before our eyes, and we are so distracted by the lines and empty shelves, to see it. We are so distracted by the "Cares of the world" that we are refusing to clean the halls and walls of our souls. While we are blighting and fighting over lost conveniences, we are injuring our leadership. When we refuse to give up our filth, we live in spiritual squalor, and abandon God's gift of faith. So how do we get to the new clean area, how do we maintain it? It has been written in our hearts, but we must embrace the change, we must venture into the new, we must keep our focus on our redeemer, and we must set out. Look for Part 2.

Joshua 3 (NASB)

Israel Crosses the Jordan

3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. ² At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; ³ and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. ⁴ However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 ^[a]cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”

⁵ Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
Time to consecrate...time to cross over...see you soon...Jesus.

The wise man built his house upon the rock

I cannot attest to the mans walk of faith, but I can attest to what his offering did to strengthen mine. Rich Mullins and his music made an impact on my heart, and still impacts me today. If the foundations of ones faith were to be inscribed with the words of inspiration, and then if my foundations were ever uncovered, the lines and lyrics of Mullins music would be revealed. Underscore them with supporting scriptures and one would easily say that 'these foundations were constructed of the words themselves'. But what good is a firm and strong foundation, if it is not securely placed upon an immovable rock? Right this moment I am experiencing a feeling, a feeling of desperate hopelessness, and complete lack of power or plan. Thankfully I am not facing any dire circumstance, or physical need...well actually I am, but the reality is the Spiritual/Eternal aspects of what I am facing far outweigh the practical, everyday needs that we all face today. I am not sick, but my friend is.

  Last night I was asked to help with a circumstance that showed me just how powerless, and frail humanity truly is. Like Rich Mullins sings, "We are not as strong as we think we are...". Last night I witnessed first hand the frailty of the human mind, I saw first hand and in real time the effects of the chemical imbalances, and disorders of obsession. No manner of reality or reasoning could be employed...they were powerless. When a small child becomes distraught we can hold them, keep them safe, but not an adult, especially one who is not in control of basic impulses, restraint is non existent, physical strength was now powerless. In my military days, I was trained to be prepared for anything, and if the situation warranted, respond with deadly and precise action to remove the threat. I was, in my youth, quite proficient at neutralizing the threat, but in war that can mean anything up to and including the death of the one who is the threat. My military training was rendered powerless. I have never felt more naked, and ill-prepared, so weak, so ineffectual, nothing more than a spectator as this thing played out.

 
  So where does the soul retreat too when the threat seems insurmountable? To prayer...I pray. Make no mistake...I pray a lot, I pray to worship, and praise, I pray to exalt and lift up, I pray to enter in to His presence, and I pray for situations, circumstances, I rarely pray for results, but rather I pray to reveal what my nature would desire, and then in that same prayer submit to the pure perfect will of God following the example of Jesus of Nazareth who prayed, "Never the less, not my will, but Thine be done." Sometimes I pray for direction...thankfully...Romans 8:26 reminds us that even when we don't know how or what to pray, the Holy Spirit himself directs and utters the words for us. Friends this is when true revelation happens. This is when the truth of the circumstance is revealed, this is when clarity of vision can manifest. I was praying...and I heard my own words, and saw through my minds eye the vision so clear, so simple, so strong.

  I saw the strand of DNA from the side and recognized its familiar double helix, the strand turned and I saw it from the top and it took the form of a sectional circle like a pie that have been cut. The walls of the structure were firm and strong like stones they were high and fortified, and the sections were filled with the aspects of life, everything from basic health to surreal imagination, and these walls were anchored to a firm foundation, every section was given an opening, a gate, and a guard stood at the gate. The sections grew to be rooms for occupation, and the foundations grew with them, a house was formed, and then a temple, a tabernacle, and it grew into a city. In the Houses, some of the rooms were called work, some of them were called playful joy, there were rooms for dancing, rooms for rest, rooms for dining, rooms for action, rooms for waiting, and rooms for intercession. The rooms for intercession were like hubs, or corners, and the walls extended in different directions from these hubs or corners, and I saw so clearly that our lives, are made up of the diligent practice of all these aspects, but none so important as intercession. Like a keystone holds up an arch, the pillars of intercession make strong all the other aspects of life.

  Back in my own humanity, I must admit that as much as I pray, I don't make it a habit to pray over my creativity, imagination, hobbies or dancing. I pray for work and vocation, but I don't build a solid pillar of it. I pray about health and well being, and as substantial as those prayers are, they did not measure up to the minimum standard of humanity I should be holding. My foundation is Jesus, The Christ, Messiah, Savior, Eternal King, so why am I not building the rooms, the house, the temple, the tabernacle, the city? After all these aspects are "Built without hands". Like my strong foundations, they are built on the words and Word Of God. So why am I not...?

  Because Intercession is a discipline, and now I am seeing that it is the connecting points of all the other facets. My discipline to balance my accounts, touches everything, my discipline to report to work or church touches everything. Discipline is the key, it is the cipher, it is the pillar, we become what we are disciplined at. Disciplined Intercessor...I am not...yet. I also see that I cannot effectively intercede for things that I am not willing to look at or into, and the deeper I look into something, the more I see the necessity of intercession. But wait there's more. My intercession is nothing without corresponding action, Intercession and action are nothing without belief, Belief is nothing if it is based on deception, and I thank God Almighty, that I believe in Him, and I believe that Jesus is His son, "He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, He was crucified and dead and buried. And I believe, what I believe, is what makes me what I am, I did not make it, no it is making me. It s the very truth of God, and not the invention of any man. I believe it." (Mullins, Rich. Creed, "A Liturgy, A Legacy, A Ragamuffin band" 1993)

  The pillars...they are made of words, solid as stone, but living. As are the walls, the gates, the floors, the ceilings, spoken into existence by faith, in one who was redeemed to become a representation of the King of Life...Melech L'Chaim, Jesus. I will pray, intercede to become..."all that we can be and not what we are" (Denver, John. The Eagle And The Hawk, "Aerie" 1971) So now I know how to protect myself from physical imbalances, I have a few things to add to my intercession discipline, and a few things to practice more diligently. I want to be strong for my friend, I want to be a good example. I hope and now I Pray...most earnestly, that God, who is our healer, will repair the damage to my friend, remake the disconnections in his mind, strengthen the healthy functions, and bring balance back to my friend, his mind and his family. I am praying for strength to walk out this challenge with my friend and his family, until we find His glory. John 9:1-12 Amen...

...my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Inspiration and correction can come from the most mysterious of places. It is my opinion that a man (Humanity) can find relevant correction in the most mundane of things. Recently I took on a floor repair task that offered just such an opportunity. I was removing a rotted sub-floor from a small bathroom, in a middle aged home. After removing the floor covering I discovered that the repair I was making, had been done once before, but not as complete a repair as what should have been done. Two layers of new half inch treated plywood (very sturdy) had been used, instead of the two layers of Tongue and Groove five eights plywood, that the home was built with. For my non-maths readers, that means that the repair was one quarter inch too low to make an even transition between the new work and the old. the plywood was mostly nailed in place, but in a few locations very large, structural, hardened screws were used. the offending gap was then filled with a leveling concrete, before the floor covering. Exasperating! It has always been my practice to use the proper materials and proper tools including fasteners for any job that I do.

  I chipped away the leveler, scarped as much of the concrete out of the cross tip screw head as I could, but the dastardly screw would not budge. I will not go into the details of what tools and tricks I employed to overcome this aberration, suffice it to say that the screw head shattered, leaving behind a very strong, very sharp, inch-long, jagged, and merciless appendage. I had to employ great caution so as not to kneel upon, and allow my clothing to catch. The process took nearly ten minutes where normal methods would have been dealt with in a matter of seconds. This added frustration and an fair amount of tedium to the task. Once dealt with, the repair could proceed with relative ease. But not before the offending shard was buried deep within the structure.

  So what happens when humanity affixes an incorrect belief system, with the wrong type of fastener?
We become something that falls short of the original builders intentions. Lets attach a very strong multi-layered ideal, to the bones of my existence, and glue and screw them with an oversized, hardened, and unremovable fastener. Before the inappropriate substrate can be replaced, the offending fastener must be shattered...broken off. This will undoubtedly cause an injury. The truth is, the wrong fastener has caused undue damage to begin with, and even when the substrate is replaced, the barb of wrong thinking remains, rusting away, leaving behind a weaker spot. Sure the Hardened screw is stronger, but when it not applied properly, it becomes a liability, a potential injury, a stronghold. The stronghold is typically an immovable, impenetrable, retreat, where the carnal mind goes to escape the challenges of change.

  Consider that Humanity is constructed of three distinct parts, the flesh, the soul, and the spirit. The mind of flesh is only concerned with its own satisfaction, while the mind of the soul can be considerate of others, loved ones, children, and the weaker. The mind of the Spirit is concerned only with things of eternal value, Gods word, salvation, redemption. A Stronghold is where the natural mind can retreat, survive, remain unchanged. Often Strongholds are developed from improper viewpoints, and fastened with improper thought processes. Like the unyielding hardened screw I encountered earlier, removing them usually causes peripheral damage, and weakens the structure below. Fortunately, through the Spirit, the soul can and will be healed. Unlike the dead timbers that we build homes with, our structures are living, growing and can be renewed.

  The problem is when we peel back the covering, the improper methods and material are revealed, and the natural mind employs the ego to protect the status quo. Our ego (This includes believers) is the greatest obstacle to learning, obtaining strength or operating, as the original builder has intended for us, and often, The believers 'good intentions' are the typical excuse for shattering, and leaving unhealed, the materials and fasteners of the egotistical stronghold.

  This is why our personal testimony is so important, to share where we have walked, and what we have believed, and then to share how those beliefs and walk have been rebuilt, corrected, made strong, so as to accomplish the purpose of the original creation. We can identify and increase the very mercy that was shown us. Our position in the kingdom is never to judge, but to extend forgiveness. Removing a stronghold, must be done with care, and compassion, ensuring that we do not damage the structure below, after all, we are all...His children. A shattered ego can cause more damage quicker...than the decay of rot. And this truth remains, that decay...and ego...the flesh...the nature... will all fall away, till all that remains is the Spirit. Living through the Spirit, guided by His Spirit, we can remove and repair the rotten and improper, without damaging the eternal. Okay, lets get to work.