Pillar Of Strength Or Pillar Of Salt?

Which one are you?

Interesting concept about the "Pillar of Salt". The Bible says it is what happened to Lot's wife as their family fled the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

I think it has been often misinterpreted as to what that exactly means.

First of all, there is no mention that Lot's wife was the victim of some sort of personal judgment by God just because she turned around to catch a glimpse of the destruction. I mean it wasn't like "Zap! You are now a pillar of salt". 

However, it does appear that she most definitely suffered her fate because she paused and looked back.

She paused and looked back. Most probably long enough for the ash, brimstone and particles from the large salt quarries that were known to be in the area rained down upon her and buried her where she stood.

From then on she has been known as Lot's Wife: The woman who stopped to look back.

When we head out from the past destruction of our previous lives before knowing Christ we are to keep going in that direction.

We are never to look back in wonderment of whether we made the right choice. We are never to mourn the "old life". 

When or if we do, there is a good chance that it will "catch up to us" and bury us in our past.

There may be no coming back out again. It would be is as if we have been turned into a stone monument of our sins.

What does Jesus say?

He says in Luke 17:32 - "Remember Lot's wife!"

Not as as a question, but as an emphatic exclamation!

"Remember what happened to Lot's Wife!"

Don't go there! Stay the course!

Be a Pillar of Strength, not a Pillar of Salt!

When does Jesus bring up the remembrance of Lot's wife? During his message on the day He will appear to us again.

He says in the previous verse 31: "On that day let him who is on the housetop, with his belongings in the house, not come down [and go inside] to carry them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back."

Be alert. His return is imminent. There will be no time to gather up your stuff or to make up your mind. Once you are on the road with Him there is no room for looking back.

There never has been. There never will be.

We are either all in, or we are all out. We cannot straddle the fence. There is no gray area. No DMZ.

Matthew 12:30 - "He who is not with Me [definitely on My side] is against Me."

Lot's wife wasn't sure.

You need to be sure. 

Today and every day.

Be assured that you are in my prayers today.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

Shadow People

Psalm 39:6 (Amplified Bible) - "Surely every man walks to and fro--like a shadow in a pantomime; surely for futility and emptiness he is in turmoil; each one heaps up riches, not knowing who will gather them."

There's a portrait of a life that needs to change.

Shadow People. Living life as a pantomime of reality. 

Filled with emptiness. How's that for a paradox? A true oxymoron.

An exercise in futility. Always in some sort of turmoil.

Some people live their entire lives in that fashion.

It's the life of self-control. 

How can you tell if someone has not given themselves over completely to Christ?

Simply look at the outward signs. 

How one lives is how one is.

How a person prioritizes their life is a big clue for me.

Hey let's face it, everybody has their difficulties. Christians are not immune.

It's when those difficulties are self inflicted because of a simple misalignment of priorities that cause some to walk among the shadows mimicking life instead of living life.

Did you catch that? I said some mimic life rather than living life.

Order your life.

God ALWAYS comes first. In everything. 

Blow off this simple advice (and I have seen it firsthand), and watch how life dissolves from a tangible solid into a shadowy, vacuous mist.

Shadow People are selfish and therefore are oblivious until it's too late when (or if) they realize that they have sucked everything and everyone around them into their black hole of nothingness.

The children do not need Shadow People for parents. With no direction and Godly example, they will become Shadow People too.

Dad's, what are you doing to your children by choosing against God?

Mom's, what example do you set with your unhappiness and self-anesthetizing?

Shadow People need to step out of the ethereal darkness and materialize as Children of God.

There is a lot more at stake than what most think.

Future generations are relying upon you to take your place and be counted among the brethren.

Bound in the dark shadows of a living tomb, Jesus says today, "Come forth!"

Know that I am praying for all of you.

Run everything past Jesus first!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

Waiting For Bubbles

I'm not sure if any of the great painters of religious art ever captured the scene of the angel of God stirring the waters for healing at the Pool of Bethesda.

The picture in my mind is a pathetic one. I see hundreds of people waiting for the water to be stirred and then trying to be the first one in the pool to get healed.

That had to be a sorry, if not somewhat disconcerting sight.

John 5:3: "In these lay a great number of sick folk--some blind, some crippled, and some paralyzed (shriveled up)--waiting for the bubbling up of the water. (4) For an angel of the Lord went down at appointed seasons into the pool and moved and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was cured of whatever disease with which he was afflicted."

The bible is very specific and gives no indication that it is anything but the truth. Even though some translations omit this verse. How desperate is the devil?

I do know this: it grabbed Jesus' attention. Particularly one man's plight.

There was one crippled man who never seemed able to get into the water fast enough to be the first one in. Someone else always beat him to it.

It appears he was a failure at this for some 38 years.

He was bitter. Angry. Disgruntled. Some would look at him and think he was cursed.

Now, my read on this might be a bit different than some, and I can't say I have a leg to stand on other than my own speculation, but it seems to me that this guy must have blown a good chance a time or two in 38 years.

Me personally? I think he likes being a victim. I think he likes complaining.

I think he doesn't really want to get into the pool.

Why do I think that?

Mainly because of Jesus' reaction to his complaint.

Jesus asks him, "Do you REALLY want to get well?"

Hmm...

The response? More complaining.

"No one wants to help me." "Someone always beats me to it!" "I try and try, but I always come up short."

You know what? I know people like that guy!

Always around the action, but never in it.

I actually have known people who have lived and died and lived their entire existence out of the loop. They heard the message. They knew WHAT to do. They just never made it happen for themselves.

Jesus' reaction and response to the man was simple and concise: "(8) Jesus said to him, Get up! Pick up your bed (sleeping pad) and walk!"

That's it?

Yes, apparently so.

Because when the crippled man heard this "He became well and recovered his strength and picked up his bed and walked." (vs. 9)

Need something in your life you have been waiting a long time for?

A healing? Of some sort?

Yet, you sit there and "wait for the bubbles...".

News flash!

Get on with it. Get it to Jesus. Give it over. Listen to His words today and heed them.

Whatever it is today that has been defeating you, holding you back, depressing you, keeping you from being what God has intended you to become, stop lying around and waiting for the bubbles.

The angelic whirlpool is out of order.

Jesus has the plan.

Assess your situation. Listen to the voice of Christ. Obey.

The old hymn says, "Trust and obey for there is no other way."

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

www.reallifect.com

Check Your Soil

I have to admit that I am not much of a gardener, or a farmer, etc. I have been fortunate to have thrown some seed down and watch grass grow where it hadn't before, but over the years I have come to realize by trial and error that for stuff to grow, whether it be flowers, veggies, or grass, it needs good fertile soil to start with.

Jesus unloaded a rather lengthy and somewhat cryptic parable on the disciples, and the result was sort of a collective "Huh?", followed by blank stares and head scratching.

Jesus knew He had overshot His audience.

He had to back up, simplify, and restate.

Without going through the entire parable here this morning, the place we need to start is to understand the terminology.

The Sower is Jesus (or perhaps any preacher of the gospel), the Seed is the gospel, the soil is the heart of man.

That said, look at Matt. 13:19 - "While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside."

This is seed sown into poor soil. 

Next look at Matt. 13:23 - "As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it."

There it is. Don't blink or you'll miss it.

Seed in bad soil reaps a failed crop (no gospel understanding, unsustainable Christlike attitude).

Seed in good soil reaps a healthy crop (understanding, comprehension, and love of the gospel).

So what do we do with that? The issue of responsibility crops up (no pun intended).

Who is keeping your soil fresh and fertile and receptive to the gospel on a continual basis?

Who's responsibility is it?

Ultimately?

Yours.

Jesus (and His chosen sowers) will continue to sow.

What kind of soil will it fall upon year in and year out?

Were you happy six months ago, but now are unhappy?

Has church gotten boring? Hum-drum? Ho-hum?

I'll bet you think something has happened to "IT" or to "THEM"...

Have you checked your soil lately? 

Is your heart drying up?

Have you made steady paths to the sower of the seed?

Are the ravens stealing your seed before it can even take root?

Soil check people.

It should smell fresh and free from putrefying anger and discouragement.

It should be moist and soft and ready to receive a fresh seed when planted.

It should be healthy and nutritious and well fed and watered, not dry and dusty from neglect.

Jesus said we are prepared when we "perceive and comprehend by hearing" (vs. 9).

Don't just hear with your ears today. Hear with every fiber of your senses, both flesh and spiritual.

Filter out the negative voices. Some of he most negative voices can be coming from the place you least expect.

Listen to Jesus. Receive the Seed into fertile ground.

Stay spiritually healthy. Stay spiritually focused. Stay spiritually fertile.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

www.reallifect.com

Whatever

I'm talking about God here. 

About when He responds to a need, especially those needs we have already rubber stamped "Impossible".

About when you walk into the doors of the church thinking one way, and by the time you leave everything has changed and a victory has been achieved.

All because we have asked God to do something.

Hey, why not?

Matt.21.22 - "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Sometimes we limit the "whatevers".

When God gets moving in response to His children having a dire need, we might have to find ourselves getting out of the way because look out, He might just take it further than we ever expected.

I am often amazed and I'm glad I am.

If I didn't still get amazed I would be bored. If I was bored I might look outside the circle.

God doesn't bore me. He excites me.

Does He still excite you?

Do you get butterflies in His presence?

Does your heart rate increase in anticipation of Him doing something powerful?

I pray all of that for you today.

These are tough times, but they are also fertile times ripe for God to do some real miracles in people's lives.

Live in that expectation.

It's not all about what we see, or what we can do, or how sharp we are.

It's about what Jesus Christ can do through a willing vessel still excited to be used by Him!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

The Strangers

We get caught up so much in the doldrums of church type stuff that we often completely miss or ignore the absolute supernatural aspect of it.

For many people, church is never, and I mean never, going to more than forcing themselves up on a Sunday morning and hauling themselves to a place they really don't want to be. They will sing a few songs, drop a few coins in the basket, endure what is to them a longwinded sermon, and then rush back home in time for the football game or BBQ. 

If that ain't pure ineffective religion I don't know what is.

Some other aspects of the Church needs to break through into that scenario, because I'll tell you, given the present state of the Church on many fronts, I tend to believe that the example given is often more the rule then the exception.

Maybe more people need to see an angel now and then.

Ever wonder why people tend to acknowledge the demonic more than the angelic?

How about this instruction from the bible:

Hebrews 13:2 (Amplified Bible) - "Do not forget or neglect or refuse to extend hospitality to strangers [in the brotherhood--being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it."

Interpreted properly "in the brotherhood" becomes important. No one is asking anyone to open their doors to potential home invaders.

However, the Word is instructing us to be more aware of the supernatural ministrations of God through some very non-earthly means.

says she talks to angels

they call her out by her name

oh yeah, she talks to angels

says they call her out by her name

~Black Crows~

Sometimes those we don't expect to be very spiritual are able to accept more easily what we should be seeing plainly.

The gist of the passage in my interpretation might be a bit looser than the hard line statement it appears to be making.

I think it is saying to stop being so religiously tight. To loosen up on the death grip you have over everything in your life and begin to look at what's really around you.

Entertain (be open and willing). Be hospitable (fond of others). Open your heart (be a pureheart).

Ah...the purehearts. I have had the joy of knowing a few in my life. Even right now in the present.

Always willing to give even when there is seemingly nothing to give. Even the most dire of circumstances or pains of life are unable to douse their love and joy in the Lord.

I have had the privilege to see and speak to whom I believe were angels sent by God. It wasn't manifest at the moment, but the aftermath made me think I was in a supernatural presence engineered for the moment by God.

Bottom line? Stop being strangled by the cares of this world and open up to the supernatural workings of God.

We expect God to operate like we do and be confined and restricted by the things we are.

However, God is not restricted, and He has far more greater resources than we do, and the good news is He's willing to share them with us and intervene on our behalf.

Expect them. Seek them. Open up to them.

Be blessed in your life today in everything you do and everything you say.

Keepin it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

The Old Bait And Switch

Anytime someone promotes or advertises one thing, and then provides an inferior product in place of what was originally offered, it's called a "bait and switch".

There's a lot of that in the Kingdom of God.

Religionists practice the bait and switch by offering a more complicated gospel padded with man made rules, rituals and regulations.

Evangelistic hucksters practice the bait and switch when they convince their trusting and unsuspecting followers to purchase salvation and healing from them.

Satan is the author and main practitioner of the bait switch, and has been since the beginning, as he offers what appears to be a rosier path than what God offers, but is really a garbage strewn fast track to Hell.

Galatians 6:7-8 (Amplified Bible) - "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. (8) For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."

"Do not be deceived". God will not be left holding the bag for you. He will never be made to look stupid or embarrassed. 

Accept no substitutes.

Nothing other than the pure gospel of God, which is contained in His Holy Word, is authoritative.

When you unwittingly or purposefully accept or follow a perverted brand of the gospel you are sowing into your lower nature. 

It is an endeavor completely in the flesh, and you are sowing a seed of destruction and decay into yourself. It is greed and selfishness.

You think you have advanced yourself, but in reality you have decreased.

There are no better deals.

It's Jesus, or a lesser, putrid, weaker version of Who He is.

Check yourself. Be careful who you listen to and follow. Be mindful of what you read and watch.

Are you getting the truth?

It is the truth and nothing but the truth that sets us free!

Keepin' it Real, 

Pastor Kevin <><

www.reallifect.com