When things go ‘right’ we give thanks to God and are all happy and stuff.  Why weren’t you happy when things were going differently than you had hoped?  This deserves prayerful consideration.

Most of us are thankful when things go ‘right’.  Few are actually happy in all situations.  I mean, genuinely happy in all things.  Pretending doesn’t count.  Having a mental disorder doesn’t count either.

The only thing that counts is finding your identity in Christ alone, and this comes from being honest, open and willing.  Out of this simple revelation, everything you ever need will flow; EVERYTHING.

My question is:  Why is it such a stretch for us to embrace a new plan, outside the plan we had secured our identity?  When you didn’t get the promotion, parking spot, or job- why is it that we are slow to understand one of the most simple truths about God and our relationship with Him?  How about bigger things?  What about when your political ideology isn’t winning, or your child is killed in an accident, or when you lose another loved one or friend; or worse still, if you receive a bad report from the doctor.

The answer is simple- far too simple for most of our educated minds to comprehend so I’m not going to attempt explaining it:  I’m simply going to state it, and you can do with it whatever you wish.  Do you remember the scripture in Jeremiah, the one about God’s ‘plans for us’ (‘thoughts toward us’ in KJV) ?  We all know it by heart.  It’s Jeremiah 29:11, and the NIV reads, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  In this passage, nowhere does it say that ‘I’ know the plans ‘He’ has for ‘me’.  It says that ‘He’ has a plan for ‘me’.  God isn’t secretive and will tell you His plan, but you’ve got to be willing to hear the answer; and it probably won’t make any worldly sense.  God deeply desires to take you from glory to glory.  This process means you will be let down, and disappointed at times.  If glory is being given to God, recognize that God is having an intervention- and you are the target of His affections.  Open your heart to what God is saying.

Abraham, the father of our faith, considered God’s instructions, and was obedient; offering up his child, the only means of fulfilling God’s promise.  He was obedient to a proceeding word from God.  Faith without works is dead.  If your eyes of understanding are opened, you will hear what the Spirit is saying.

It’s by the word of your testimony and the blood of the lamb that you overcome.  What you are going through is part of your own unique testimony and IS very important.  Everything about what you are going through is important.  How you got to this place (emotionally and physically), what you feel about it, what your hopes and dreams are (and were), and your present reality ‘now’; all are important (but they are not permanent).  Trusting God means your perception will change into His perception.  The revelation you receive, Truth, is permanent.  God is actively arranging and making changes in your life to bring you into a place you are already in, Him.  Embrace the flow of life.  This doesn’t set aside the grace of God- for if your testimony is all there is, Christ died in vain.

I Am,
David
view this blog at http://restorationhouse.com/

> When things don’t work out as hoped, and nothing can be done, God may be changing ‘me’.  Sooner or later we understand that resistance is futile.  God is the one behind my being let down and broken hearted.  God is breaking ‘me’.  My ‘knee’ is bowing.  There is no such thing as every knee not bowing and every tongue not confessing.  EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Your trouble (situation) may mean that it’s your turn.  Your knee is bowing and tongue needs to start confessing.  We know that faith without works is dead.  What this simply means is…  When we ‘connect’ with God, faith is formed.  This always requires a response.  Sometimes it’s to allow something to be changed within ourselves and sometimes it’s an outward expression.  You can rest assure that there is always a response.  There will always be a ‘tongue’ confession.

At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and passed it for consumption.  The bread was first taken, then He gave thanks and broke it, then given to others (Luke  22:1-23).  His actions mirror a recurring theme throughout all the scripture (and all creation).  There is a very important message being spoken with His actions.  First, we recognize receiving Christ and His broken body.  We receive Him as “The Bridge” of death burial and resurrection, paying the way for us.  Secondly, as God wills, we experience something much greater, much deeper.  We begin to experience Christ in us.  We start to understand that He lives in us.  We see that it’s in Him that we live and move and have our being.  We see our new identity.  Further, being one with Him, we see we are the bread being broken and given to the world.

You don’t have to be confused with all the pain experienced in life…  God lives in you and loves you.  Christ is saying to the Father ‘Thank you for those given to to Him (you)’- and just like the bread, must be broken before it can be given out.  It’s when you are weak that you are strong.  When given out, you’re given to the world as light and salt.  To resist is futile.  Trust God- His surgical skills surpass all others.  His sword is sharper than any knife…

I guess the only sad part is that this type surgery is that He doesn’t anesthetize you while cutting.  There is a joy set before us.  Go in peace and allow God’s finished work to change you.

I Am,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/

>What I have on my heart is pretty sensitive and my intention is not to stir up trouble.  It is; however, to speak the truth in love, letting the chips fall where they may. 

This whole business about healthcare in the USA and what political ideology is ‘right’ is a manifestation of our more serious problem.  Take a look at "my version" of Matthew 16:1-4:

Matthew 16:1-4  ¹ Then the Republicans and Democrats came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. ² He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; ³ and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

Maybe we are like this scripture?  Maybe we don’t understand the face of spiritual matters because we are so locked into being ‘right’.  We have a god set as an idol above God.  The problem can't be addressed corporately because it is being adressed individually first.

In the first place, this country is not a Christian nation.  It may be founded along Christian truth; and by Christians, with Christian founding fathers and founding documents.  None of those things qualify us to claim we are a Christian nation.   A country can’t be Christian.  For someone to say a country could be a Christian country proves you think being a believer is about following rules and performance.  You are right that it’s about performance but it’s about God’s performance, when He performed perfectly through His Son.  God’s saves people, individually, not our man made organizations (even if they are God led when they were started).

Secondly, if you think your party or ideology is on God’s side, you have an idol as described just above.  There is no side in this world, on any topic that God is for or against.  God is desiring you to choose His side, and His side isn’t based in meteorological patterns and whether it’s going to rain or not. Those worshiping God must do so in Spirit and Truth.  Neither are based in this world.  Sounds foolish?  It’s supposed to sound foolish to your natural man.  That’s why the invitation is to step out in faith to trust Him.  Trust Him like Jesus did… when He was asleep in the bow of the boat, in the middle of a huge storm.

Reread the referenced scripture.  Let your spirit guide you and decide for yourself if you think it’s worth sacrificing your intimacy with God to be ‘right’. 

We all desire a nation we can safely raise our children, and without unreasonable intervention from our government into our personal lives.  Because we desire these things doesn’t give us permission from God to allow things of this world to effect us by making us anxious and worried.

Isn’t it just possible that God is allowing all our troubles to reveal our own lack of trust in God?  The anxiety is coming from worry, and things not working out like we wanted.  When a baby does it, it's called a tantrum.  Someday we'll leave childish ways and grow up in the Lord, but for now, let's just see if we can learn what God is teaching.  I am available if you need to talk.   

Now, if you can be honest with yourself and keep it before God, I think you should do whatever is in your heart.  But, if you think God is taking a side, you’re going to be surprised how this plays out (Joshua 5).
I Am,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/

> We’re often asked, “How can I make it in Life?”, or “How can I be Happy?”  Most people are caught in a cycle of ‘self-actualization’ blinding them from the possibility of living life another way.  My search for Truth over the past 20 years or so, has uncovered many “Portals” into the unseen.  In this short article I will share how you can be happy.  The simplicity of this article may revolutionize your thinking.

Be Honest with yourself and God.  God isn’t impressed when you go to the store, buy a T-shirt that says “I Trust God”, if you don’t.  Just be honest.  If you are struggling at a moment in time, own that moment.  Have the attitude of, “I am struggling with this ____________ that is in me”.  The purpose isn’t to take long term ownership of the struggle but to trust God with it.  If we confess our struggles, He is faithful and just to forgive us and purify us.

Be Open and allow your present reality to be seen.  The real you is the most powerful you.  There are all sorts of roles we play, acting as rusty pipes, when compared to the real you.  The masks we wear, are little more than garments covering The Light within us.  These masks filter our perception of the world, creating a false identity, based in the world.  It’s crucial that your story, is your story, and not your neighbors’.  There is no such thing as an unimportant history, when concerning any person, regardless of your religious beliefs.  You are important, as you are!

Be Willing to do nothing; or anything.  There is one thing God will not do by force; Change your mind.  He will allow tragedy in our paths to soften our hearts and just like Pharaoh, send 10 plagues until we let your true self free.  True willingness is to lay your agenda down.  Now, I’m not speaking of an intellectual willingness, where you take in information and decide whether it ‘fits’ your plans.  It’s like a dead fish laying out of water, not flopping around.  True willingness gives up complete control to be led by Peace, even though the body wasn’t designed to operate under these conditions. 

If you find yourself resisting change, and you will, don’t sweat it.  If anxiety manifests when you’re not in charge, His grace is sufficient; so be honest enough to ask, “H.O.W. can I be happy?”

- Be Honest about resisting God’s leading- it called confession.

- Be Open about it- don’t hide behind fig leaves like Adam and Eve

- Be Willing to change your mind- you will be more willing to trust the unseen when you aren’t identifying with the world so strongly

Jesus teaches a more reckless abandoned faith than most of us would ever teach or preach.  True faith in God will lead you in places you do not want to go.  The daily changing of your mind, to rethink and trust in ways foreign to this natural world, is the hardest struggle you will ever face, yet will bring joy unspeakable.  In John 21:18 Jesus tells Peter, when he was younger he was able to feed himself and cloth himself, but when he is more mature in his faith, he would be led around with his eyes closed and the Holy Spirit would carry him into places he did not want to go. If your flesh is always agreeing (never offended) with the direction you are going, you probably are not being led by the Spirit; because your body and the Spirit have opposite desires.

I Am,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/

>The message God is speaking with my life is to trust God with your whole  heart.  Studying and living this theme the past 20 years or so, God has revealed much hidden in my own heart, usually by revelation of my own ‘lack of faith’.

We all intellectually know we are to live in this world but not of it, yet for reasons I’ll explain a little later, I challenge this occasionally, by thinking as I did prior to trusting God.  Being in ‘ministry’,  I am not immune from falling prey to my old man, even though he’s reckoned dead and crucified with Christ, just as all believers. 

My life’s calling and purpose is primarily demonstrating the contrasting difference between walking by faith and walking by sight; and the simple transition on how to enter His rest.  Walking by faith is trusting God.  Walking by sight is taking into account things of this world and trusting the information gathered, good or bad.

Everybody wants a ‘ministry’, and yet it never dawns on us this was the original sin with Adam and Eve starting the first ministry. Don't overcomplicate life. God is Love, pure and simple.  Man’s idea of ‘ministry’ and God’s idea of ‘ministry’ are very different.  God’s idea of ‘ministry’ is: His constant love flowing through varying methods.  Man’s typical idea of ‘ministry’ is: Methods used to accomplish a goal.  There are two parts to any ministry; constants and variables.  Variables (i.e. where to work, who to marry, where to live, what to say, how to say it) change from time to time and then there’s constants (i.e. God’s Love is unfailing, Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus was crucified taking on the sin of the world and giving His righteousness to His Body), which remain unchanging.  To our ‘natural’ minds, it’s natural to take God’s variables and make them our constants, mainly so we’ll know what to expect and remain in control.

Back to Adam and Eve… God created Adam from the dust and breathed into him life.  Then, God planted a garden in the east of Eden.  The Lord made many trees pleasing to the eye and good for food.  In the middle of the garden were the Tree of Life and the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The Lord commanded Adam, you are free to eat from any tree in the garden but you must not eat from the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The tree of Life is rooted in Unconditional Love and represents motivation where we are like children, without guile.  God never explained why they should not eat from the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil.  He only said, if you do, you will surely die.  The second tree is rooted, or finds our motivation in having our eyes opened to be like God, knowing good and evil.  This sounds innocent enough but God didn’t intend on us walking with our eyes opened to sin.  

The sin consciences we feel at times is our old nature which was born out of the original sin, wanting to control our own destiny.  Wanting to control situations is directly from the fall of man and unacceptable to God.  It’s in all human flesh and for the believer, it was crucified with Christ at cavalry.  Even though the flesh man has a will based in knowledge of good and evil, the path God has for His children is to walk by faith in the Son of God, which means to deny the fleshly desires and walk according to the Spirit.
 
This is the part that simply blows my mind.  There’s perfect freedom in Christ and it’s perfectly okay for you to embrace your present reality.  You see, the sin nature (flesh) is not in God’s radar.  He’s not trying to fix your behavior.  He’s not trying to keep you from thinking certain thoughts and performing certain actions.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is a free gift of salvation that He bore your Sin condition on Himself, leaving you without spot or blemish. 

Well, if that don’t get your fire going… your wood’s wet (so to speak)… But there’s more.  God actually decided that to seal this deal He needed to give you His Spirit.  Now, we traditionally think of having His Spirit as moving in with our Sprit, but from what I am seeing, the good news keeps getting better.  In 1 Corinthians 6:17 Paul writes that the one who is joined to the Lord is ONE Spirit with Him.  That is saying that your spirit and His Spirit are not separate Spirits.  Your true identity is actually God’s Spirit.  Over and over, Jesus teaches that He would never leave us or never forsake us.  In Romans we find that nothing could separate us from God.  You can’t be separated from Him because you and He are ONE. 

I am only just beginning to see that His Love is not complicated, yet His depths are unfathomable. Intellectual minds have difficulty grasping the simplicity of walking by faith, never understanding it's not about following or not following rules. It's simply about being a New Creation.

One with the Father,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/

>Have you been trapped into thinking you have to earn love?  Of all the things we will ever encounter, God made love unique.  True love cannot be traded or sold.  It can only be given away freely, or received freely.  This concept may brings some questions to your mind… hmmm.  Let’s consider some thoughts…

True love, the kind God gives to us and through us, is NOT something that can be grasped, or handled.  It is NOT something we can neatly write about, and figure out.  True Love is the Power of God, and just like He can’t be captured in a bottle, neither can love.

Everyone has been taught to work for acceptance and love by the worldly system we live.  This includes you because everyone has this same 'system' built into our earth suits.  Why don’t we let each other off the hook, and not require each other to work for love.  How about just giving love, acceptance?  You don't have to agree with everything they say or do, but you can recognize there is a struggling person trapped inside their body, trying to get love in all the wrong places.

When God clothes us, He does it from the inside, and then it flows out; otherwise, His desire would be for us to follow the law. His desire is not for you to follow the law, but rise above it, walking in love. 

It’s so confusing to the natural mind.  We are accustomed to ‘calculating’ our every move.  It just doesn’t make sense that all I have to do is trust God, with my fears, hurts and hang-ups; and even the things I perceive as ‘good’.  We’re told from birth to ‘do right’ and ‘be moral’.  It never dawns on us that if we will lose our minds in Christ, He is quite capable of ‘doing right’ according to Him, and ‘being moral’, according to Him.

We’ve so overcomplicated how to live as a Christian.  It’s simple.  When Jesus was asked by a Pharisee what the greatest commandment was, He answered, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22, NKJV)

Want an instant stress reliever (warning, it will develop character and humility)?  Try looking past actions (even your own) and accepting each other for who they are on our deepest part.  Let your self off the 'work for love' hook.  Let each other off the hook...  Love first, ask questions later.

I AM,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/

>

Your human mind is a picture of your own snare, keeping you from experiencing the abundance of Life God desires for you.

Psychologists long have known that most our problems are 'Presenting Problems'.  'Presenting Problems' are simply problems in our lives that are only a small portion of the 'main' problem lying beneath.  As we explore the ‘Presenting Problem’ we peal back to the true fears and motivations of the heart.  Just as an onion is pealed back, we will find the core issue if we are honest and transparent. 

In order to lay down my burden, I must first identify it.  Man's burden is living based on knowledge of either good -or- evil (fear).

No one would argue that their mind is comparable to God’s, and yet, we process information and make decisions like our way of thinking is the only way.  God couldn’t be more clear in His word that His ways are above our ways.  What does ‘above our ways’ mean? 

- Does it mean that His calculator is faster? 

- Does it mean that God has all the factors and knows the answer based on more intelligence?

- Does it mean God is smarter than me?

Of course, God is all those things, but what God is speaking of is much deeper and more simple.  His ways are above our ways because they come from another dimension.  Tragically, our human minds can’t understand how to transcend it’s own thoughts, because our minds are ‘caged’ within themselves, as long as it’s left unchecked and in charge of our destiny. 

Our minds are programmed by God, since the fall of man, to walk by sight, sound, feeling and other sensory stimuli.  There is only one way to accept such faith, and that is to deny yourself of the way that comes natural according to the world. 

Our human lives are meant to reveal the many ‘portals’ into the mind of Christ and ever loving relationship with our Father.  The challenges of life, ‘Presenting Problems’, present themselves to reveal that intellectual answers just won’t cut it.

I Am,

David

view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/

>After hearing several news stories about people committing suicide after watching the movie Avatar, I wanted to see what was all the fuss.  After viewing the movie yesterday, I can honestly say that Avatar was the most “On Target” movie I have seen, revealing the Oneness of God and the connectedness of His living spirit with His creation, including His people.  There are multiple ways the movie is powerful.

Avatar is set on the planet Pandora.  On Pandora, the native people (the Na’vi) have a unique way of seeing life because they are conscious of their connection to each other and all creation.  In the story, the Na’vi, are able to experience and be one with Life (God) while the humans are caught up in living based on the five senses.  The planet Pandora isn’t anything unlike Earth.  Remarkably; the producer’s creativity, show the storyline simply and clearly revealing the essence of God and the simple way it ‘can’ be with God.  When the Na’vi experience Life, they have identified their life source, embracing their bodies as temporary, because they see their life energy within is part of the One Life, God.  The message is a Christian message, where our spirit is one with Creator God, whether viewing the movie or not.  It’s the message of Christ providing a bridge when He exchanges places with creation.  The sad fact is, most Christians are so busy ‘living’ by ‘sight’ we couldn’t find the relevance in the Na’vi’s way of life, as portrayed.

On Pandora, there is a very valuable mineral, one that people from Earth are doing anything to get.  After years of failed relocation negotiations (the valuable minerals are deep beneath the Na’vi’s home), the humans devise a way to grow a DNA altered body (Avatar) that can survive the atmosphere.  The host body (Avatar) made by humans can then be remotely lived in by Jake Sully to fully experience the Na’vi’s way of life, being able, to be completely present, with his inner being the whole time.  The hope is that if Jake can win the Na’vi’s trust, he can then convince them to leave their home.  While becoming intimate with the Na’vi’s ways, Jake is caught in a conflict between the humans and Na’vi. 

The Na’vi, simply by being conscious for their connection to God, demonstrate at least one other powerful truth I wish to speak about.  The Na’vi in this story are as the body of Christ in Reality, having one and the same spirit with God Himself.  The testimony by the Na’vi is the picture of the Body of Christ’s connection to our God.  Their simple, unassuming existence, enlightened Jake, by allowing him to see for himself his connectedness with life and Love from God.  While I am not saying this story came straight from the Bible, I am saying that the story is just another picture, a very clear expression of God’s love for us.  If you get the chance to see it, I encourage you to do so.

I Am, David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/

NOTE: If you have seen this movie and don’t see the connection, allow me to share a few scriptures to think about.  If you have not seen this movie and desire to move more deeply in relationship with God, think about these verses while watching the movie: 

Ephesians 4:4-6. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Joshua 1:9.  ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Romans 1:19-20.  ¹⁹since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.