HEAVENLY INCLINED...: THE STRONGHOLD...

Thanksgiving for the LORD's Favor

Psalms 138 (A Psalm of David)
1/ I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2/ I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3/ In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4/ All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5/ Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
6/ Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7/ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8/ The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands... AMEN!!!

One CANNOT earn GRACE, it is HIS own ESSENCE; a gift, still, IF one claims to be IN HIS GRACE, we ARE to, or, OUGHT to, be reflections of that GRACE! 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1, tells us not to take HIS GRACE in vain! This means, living in LOVE, morality, ethics, virtue, righteousness, and, spiritual improvement, TOWARDS, spiritual maturity, WHILE, visibly BEING as LIGHTS, beaming OF *GOD*, beckoning the world, TO THE LIGHT! Righteousness MEANS, conduct in conformity with *GOD'S* WILL, and, "Be HOLY because I AM HOLY!", therefore, indicating that knowledge, wisdom, and, effort, DO, apply TO the righteous!!! NEVER forget, we were grafted in, and, if we do not bear fruit, as a dead branch, we will be pruned out, just as were, the natural branches!!!

We are not saved by works, instead, works PROVE HIM in us: they identify HIS own...

IF I claim ONENESS with *GOD*, through CHRIST JESUS, I am DEAD TO THE WORLD, THUS, LIVING as HIM, which is, hopefully, witnessed IN, and, THROUGH, my every thought, action, and, reaction; MEANING, I am, THROUGH CONSCIOUS application OF THE WORD, HIS COMMANDS, HIS WILL, REFLECTING righteousness, not, merely, FAITH! I become, the TRULY FRUITFUL branch, of THE VINE, the TRUE member of THE BODY/THE CHURCH, CHRIST JESUS, and, TESTIFY, then, GLORIFY, BOLDLY, BY my thoughts, actions, and, reactions, HIS name, because, HE IS WORTHY, and, IN HIS LOVE, has SHOWN me, how I OUGHT to exist, to which, I eagerly, adapt, and, comply!!!

MATTHEW 5:48...
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect

1 PETER 1:14-16...
14/ Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance
15/ but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,
16/ for it is written, "Be holy because I (am) holy."

ROMANS 12:2...
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Conduct, in conformity to *GOD'S* WILL, marks the righteous; it is NOT because of guilt, or, ancient Laws, but, because of LOVE; LOVE for *GOD*, self, then, others! CHRIST JESUS gave us Commandments to live by, of which, the first is to LOVE *GOD*, with all of your mind, heart, and, soul; the second is, to LOVE one another!

LOVE COMPELS us to LIVE IN HIM, through conduct which conforms to *GOD*; in other words, morality, ethics, doing good, and, being good, and, ever striving to improve the spirit! It is about REFLECTING THE TRUTH, for ALL to bear witness to, FOR, and, TO HIS GLORY, RADIANTLY SHINING OF HIS POWER, GRACE, and, MERCIES!!!

It IS ALL ABOUT LOVE, baby, all about LOVE!!!

MATTHEW 4: 17...From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

JOHN 14:15..."If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

NOTE: I do not intend to preach, rather to reach; to stir up, awaken, to inspire, and, bring forth, in discussion, that which is, perhaps, dormantly existing in the heart of hearts, thus, little, or, no, sugar coatings, just THE WORD of *GOD*, the TRUTH, along with some of my thoughts. And truth is, I am reminding myself always, as I practice these reminders, in the best of my abilities, and capacities, while RELYING on THE LORD to lead me on that narrow PATH---> MATTHEW 7: 14: "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it... TO *GOD* BE ALL GLORY...

THE STRONGHOLD...

ACTS 4: 19...

Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, "Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges.

ACTS 5: 29...
But Peter and the apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men.

Throughout THE WORD, *GOD'S* people uttered these words in face of the adversary, and STOOD on them! This is a powerful lesson!!!

The 3 Men in a fiery furnace (DANIEL 3), Daniel in the lion's den (DANIEL 6), the mid-wives who did not do as the king had ordered them to do (EXODUS 1), Hannah, and her 7 sons whom were tortured for refusing to obey the king (2 MACCABEES 7), all the way through to the Apostles, these people REMAINED IN THE LORD, NO MATTER what the enemy afflicted them with, and said that they would NOT violate THE LORD!!!

The predominant point in these examples is that they not only RELIED upon THE LORD, they were STRENGTHENED IN HIM, in the face of adversity, and FAITHFUL, despite what they were facing! They REFUSED to let fear, and what is against *GOD* rule their reactions, though they had much to lose, including their very lives, AND they did NOT give power where power doesn't belong, by cowering to them! You see, we feed into the false powers of the world, BY caving into them, being overtaken by them, then, bound by them! ALL POWER IS THE LORD'S, and by FAITH, we should remember this, and stand IN HIM, NO MATTER what!!!

All through history, humanity has fed into what comes of the world, allowing what happens to take over THE TRUTH! We feed into the falsehood of evil, wickedness, and the negatives around us, by becoming so involved in them, we put THE LORD in the background to deal with them, as if we could deal with them, without HIM! We shift power to where it will never belong, and we get caught up in a whole lot of senselessness in doing so...

Sure, what is against *GOD*, and us, is something to reckon with, yet, as we become overwhelmed by such, we are stepping right into the trap so deliberately placed there for our trip! Not only this, we can't do anything without THE LORD, and ALL power IS HIS...

As things occur in this world, we are going to react, no doubt, yet, HOW we react has the potential to become the problem which, creates more problems! Any time the evil of the world is prevalent in our thoughts, actions, and reactions, we are going to have more problems, as such aids in making it more so! Instead of immediately TURNING TO *GOD* as things unfold, we react to negatives with negatives, or, we get lost in them, thereby, giving power where the only power that exists is what we are giving. See???

Yes, some of what we deal with is beyond our understanding, and so, we are sucked into it; all the more reason that we call upon THE LORD, and KEEP our thoughts on HIM, as we PRAY, PRAISE, and WORSHIP in the midst of what is, for ONLY HE can deliver us...

ALL power, ALL GLORY IS *GOD'S*, and this is the very reason we have to deal with HIS enemy, because said enemy does NOT believe that he is, in fact, powerless, and from a certain point, it would seem that he does have power, but MUCH of that power is what we have given him as we are overtaken by reactions of fear, and other such! It is difficult to embrace, let alone remember as things happen in our lives, yet, the more we understand, the more we can be like the above examples, and give *GOD* the GLORY, and power which is HIS, alone...

We MUST recall at all times that *GOD*, THE ALMIGHTY LORD, IS with us, and WILL rescue us, according to HIS WILL! We must remember that HE WILL NOT FORSAKE us, HE IS FAITHFUL TO THE FAITHFUL, no matter if everything around us is as chaos! HE, ALONE is our ROCK, our FORTRESS, our DELIVERER, our SURE, and PRESENT HELP, NO MATTER WHAT, and stand STRONG IN FAITH, BELIEF, and TRUST, as the oppressor does his evil...

Some have lost the strength of the power of their FAITH due to externals, which many will say is to be expected, given what they endured, yet, FAITH GOES BEYOND what externals deal to us! FAITH that is shaken by these elemental rulers of the world, is EXACTLY the hope of the evil one, and gives him power, as well as, creates more problems for the one who was shaken out of their FAITH...

Evil is ever nearby, but THE LORD *GOD* is even closer, especially for those who FAITH is as a stronghold of fortification! AND, when FAITH is strong enough to BELIEVE, as in:
PSALM 91...
1/ You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2/ Say to the LORD, "My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust."
3/ God will rescue you from the fowler's snare, from the destroying plague,
4/ Will shelter you with pinions, spread wings that you may take refuge; God's faithfulness is a protecting shield.
5/ You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day,
6/ Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.
7/ Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, near you it shall not come.
8/ You need simply watch; the punishment of the wicked you will see.
9/ You have the LORD for your refuge; you have made the Most High your stronghold.
10/ No evil shall befall you, no affliction come near your tent.
11/ For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways.
12/ With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13/ You shall tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon.
14/ Whoever clings to me I will deliver; whoever knows my name I will set on high.
15/ All who call upon me I will answer; I will be with them in distress; I will deliver them and give them honor.
16/ With length of days I will satisfy them and show them my saving power.

THIS IS the kind of FAITH CHRIST JESUS has taught us, and asks us to exist in, for IN this kind of FAITH is provision, protection, and empowerment, to serve us as we serve HIM. As CHRIST JESUS said, 'Whoever has ears, let them hear'...

REV. LWINSOR © 2013
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS