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Meditations of a christizen (christian-citizen)upon today's topics. |
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I, Brother James, cultivated through my imagination 'The Word Courier's Journal'. It is but one of several literary efforts so conceived to include the "Word", the mind altering, eye opening, lifesaving Gospel of Jesus Christ into the everyday conversation on those things deemed relevant to readers. I and all other followers of the Lord are called to witness. Jesus said "Go therefore and teach all nations..." (see Matthew 28:19 KJV Holy Bible) Here lies my modest attempt to introduce the unknowing people to the Lord and immerse they who know Him in discussion with respect to His outlook on all that matters. |
| Today it's chosen to be frozen. But that's January in these parts. I'm doing my best to stay warm. |
| Yet, for all the tweeting, texting, friending, blogs, television, and money, one thing remains clear: Conversations still matter. So if we really want to positively the conversation talking face to face is still a good option. I dare say its the best option. That's why door to door canvassing and coffee shop conversations continue to play an important part of preserving democracy. |
| Paranoia is the belief that others are out to get you when those feelings have no basis in fact and as such are unfounded. However, when these feelings reflect reality these are not crazy but rather an accurate assessment of reality. |
| Such people are penalized. |
| The commandment that "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" is the first commandment given for a reason. History has repeatedly shown that once something comes before God nothing that follows will be of any good. And how do we know when we’re idolizing something? When we’re willing to go against Scriptural teachings, that is willing to do wrong, or something we should know is wrong according to the love, law, and covenant of God. This is what always gives away where our hearts really belong. |
| Love like a dog. Love instinctively. You can do this if love is within you. Live like a cat. Live your best life now even if you have eight other lives to spare. |
| I refer to this season as the birthday bash fast because I begin fasting of/from something(s) 40 days until the last Friday preceding my birthday or on my birthday when it falls on the first Friday in September. Food and drinks have typically been the main things fasted upon in this season. It would not necessarily be a straight fast for 40 days i.e. sunup to sundown no food or drink but rather certain foods and drinks for that length of time. And of course, I’d up my game of the pure all out fasting during this time. As of recent years behavior that is do’s and don'ts have also become subject of my fast. Now, It seems the Lord sees fit to encourage my efforts at fasting. I say this because a second bit of encouragement occurred this week. Earlier I wrote in the ‘Word Courier’ blog about the coincidence of the first day of this year’s fast that included a Sunday School lesson centered around Ezra’s fast. Who put the co, in the incidence? Huh? That’s right. The pastor of our church called for the faithful to fast until 3 p.m. from Wednesday until Friday of this week. That is a straight foodless waterless fast for those days. He suggested those who might put themselves at risk via health reasons to do what I refer to as a behavior fast. He doesn’t know about my birthday bash fast. He did this as led by the Lord unaware of my personal worship. Now, I don’t think everything is so much about me that the Lord didn’t have other purposes to inspire our pastor to call this fast. The fact is our Lord has encouraged the group fast as preparation to breakthroughs. Lest we forget that Jehoshaphat called for a fast when a myriad of enemies prepared to gang up on Judah. (see 2Kings 20:3 Holy Bible) That was the first step in what would be their victory against seemingly insurmountable odds. I suspect too that our pastor requested this church fast to break through some barriers. It’s about preparation for growth that our brought about by people who better themselves by renewing and remaking themselves in the image of Jesus Christ. And the result of such is that we renew our world or at least our locality into the likeness of heaven the end place to which we aspire. |
| God’s way is always going to be better than our way. Why? Because the Lord has been and will continue to be smarter, more informed, (He knows all) and yes much better than us. Our Lord sees the past, present, and future all at once. So, if you’re inclined to take friends, family and so-called experts advice as opposed to what thus says the Lord then be prepared for but not surprised by disappointment if not outright disaster. Lest we forget, we, they, whoever know only in part whereas the Lord knows in full. He knows you better than you. All souls are His. He told Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;…” in the book of Jeremiah’s first chapter and fifth verse. He knows what’s best for us exponentially more than family, friends and wait for it…even other believers. I say this emphatically because I've learned this entirely too much the hard way. God displays his wealth of knowledge in his Word which is told to us. And this we know through our due diligent scriptural study. Prayer helps us to know Him better and thus to know when what they say is in line (or not) with what He says. The knowledge and understanding of what the Lord told us helps when it comes to what the Lord shows us. It’s then we can put away the noise others are making from their limited knowing in part and not knowing the whole regarding the truth. Know what he told, know what he showed and act accordingly. |
| Is the Lord telling me something? Or is it coincidence? Who puts the co on the incidence? Considering that, the recent connection happening between fasting, the number 23 and me seem to be more than just happenstance. Fasting I first wrote about my annual birthday bash fast here in the ‘Word Courier’s Journal’ in 2012 some 15 years after its inception. I put pen to paper and struck keyboard letters to my laptop and wrote four blogs about fasting during 2012’s 40 day birthday bash fasting period. The annual ritual begins on a mid-late July Sunday and wraps up at 6 p.m. on the last Friday before my birthday or on a Friday birthday. Here, I fast from certain foods and drinks. I have done the dailey all food and drink fast before but not for 40 days straight. To make up for the limitations of my fasting ritual, I up my spiritual game in other areas. I step up observance of Tuesday and Friday all included fast called for by my church body. Also, I've usually increased upon my sometimes woeful prayer life during the fasting 40 days. Having said all this, I must remind readers that this is about more than abstaining from food and drink. It’s about subjecting the flesh so as to come to a more Christ like state of mind. This is about transforming from what we are to what the Lord desires us to be. The Holy Bible is replete with people and their breakthroughs by fasting. Queen Esther (Esther 4:15-17), King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:3), and the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:7-10) all bear witness to victories in which fasting played a part. Our Lord Jesus himself fasted in the wilderness (Matthew 4th chapter) in preparation for his ministry. And these are but a small sample of biblically recorded fasting. 23 The Sunday School lesson for July 23rd, 2023 which also happened to be this year's first day of my birthday bash fast spoke of fasting. I skimmed the lesson the night before. However, I didn’t pick up on these 23sh instances until we began class that Sunday morning. And of course the lesson was from Ezra 8:21-23. As such, I was moved to write this post. Ezra led a return of Hebrews back to Judah from captivity under the Persian monarch Artaxerxes. He had the king’s permission to go, yet he felt the need to petition God by prayer and fasting for safe passage. Given this, we spent the Sunday School hour talking about fasting and what it entails. Me This is the first time (as far as I can remember) that a lesson (or sermon)centered around fasting occurred on the first day of a birthday bash fast season. That is unique. I believe it’s also a not so subtle message from on high to do this fast right. |
| I don't do good because I'm nice. I do right because I'm good |
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