notes from lisa...

Something awful happened on February 26th. According to reports, an imperfect teenager (aren't they all?) was spending his 10-day suspension from school at his dad's girlfriend's home. I don't know why he stayed there --maybe, she was home during the day and could make sure Trayvon wasn't smoking more marijuana (which is what he got suspended for). I do know that smoking a few joints--or even having an addiction to marijuana is not punishable by death (at least in America). On that fateful day, 17-year old Trayvon, went to the store to buy candy and iced tea. Walking through the gated community in Sanford, Florida on his way back to the home where he was staying, he encountered George Zimmerman. By almost every account, Trayvon became a victim, that day. I question any account that makes him anything other than a victim-- and the heart of the person giving that account; I am being honest (about my judgmental biases). No matter how I look at this, George Zimmer...

"And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless] courage."     (Judges 6:12, AMP) Whenever God's people discuss faith and fear, it seems as if we (people) have a storehouse of faith--or at least we (think we) should; and we should never have any fear or trepidation. Truthfully, and honestly, all humans experience fear--it's apart of what makes us human. Fear is necessary for us to be safe. We won't respond appropriately in dangerous situations, without it. There is something called the "fight or flight response"; and it is our bodies natural (and innate) reaction to any perceived attack, and this response prepares us to react quickly in a potentially hazardous crisis or circumstance. God put this in us. Still, many of us, think of fear as an enemy. We assume, I believe wrongfully, that if God detects any vestige of fear in us, than He cannot or will not work in us or for us, doing any...

" Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the murmurs and excuses of] every mouth may be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God.  For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character]. But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets,  Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction,  Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glor...

"And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man's life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs." [Luke 12:15, AMP] A couple of years ago, I posted a blog entitled Building Bigger Barns . I never expected to revisit this same passage of Scripture--or this same issue; however, things have gone from "bigger" to "skyscraper" in that time period. In spite of our failing economy, and difficult times, God's people haven't gotten the point that covetousness is wrong . Instead of repenting for our greed then, we have become greedier. We want, we want, and we want some more and we look for ways to justify and rationalize our greed by God's holy Word! His Word clearly declares some very pointed things to us: 1. Jesus taught us to guard our hearts again...

IF ISAIAH COULD "SEE" IT, WE SHOULD BY NOW BE ABLE TO GRASP IT--SINCE IT HAS NOW COME TO PASS. He saw it prophetically; but the actualization, the reality has happened and been recorded for us . WHO HAS believed (trusted in, relied upon, and clung to) our message [of that which was revealed to us]? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been disclosed?    For [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.   He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.   Surely He has bor...

Everyone wants to be on top--to experience victory, from birth to death. No one likes trouble, pain or hardship. No one likes punishment or chastisement. But, all of us will experience all of them at some point in our lives, as hard as we try to avoid them. HAVE MERCY upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin! For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful]. Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost he...

By the time we read John 1:1 in our Bibles, if we don't get why Jesus came--we don't want to, or something is wrong. I guess, maybe, is just isn't revealed, yet . Isaiah's prophecy began more than 700 years before Jesus came, and lasted about 40 years. Isaiah spoke of Jesus, as if He was a contemporary of Jesus Christ. His prophecies of the coming King were so vivid, it was undeniable--(and is still undeniable) that Isaiah spoke of Jesus Christ --the Messiah, the Son of God. He "saw" the One Who would come to save His people from their sins--he saw their rejection of Him. Isaiah got a glimpse of the Glory of God [St. John 1:14] (the Shekinah), that would be revealed in the manifestation of the Son, Jesus Christ. Isaiah knew that the great I AM Who delivered His forefathers from the land of Egypt--was yet to be born of a woman--a young virgin, who would bear a King. Isaiah saw this Lamb of God, Who would feed His flock, like a Shepherd. Is...

I LOVE THE CLARITY OF the eighth chapter of Hebrews. It is so plain and bottom-line; Paul (I believe) says rather emphatically: "The Law has come and gone --and, GRACE has come to replace the Law (Mosaic). The Law wasn't replaced because it was bad, but because it was never meant to be permanent--it was always temporary--as Paul said, in Galatians, "a schoolteacher" to bring us to grace. Now, that we have grace, we don't need the schoolteacher teaching us laws and rules; we have the Holy Ghost writing (and "teaching us all things" [John 14:26])   the "laws" in our hearts, with fleshy tablets, by LOVE. Love enables us, by the power of the Holy Ghost to keep the New Covenant--that no one was ever able to keep under the Old Covenant, because there was no power-- but simply an awareness of sin. Now, we have power--and, "He is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless...". We don't have to sin! We do...

IN 2 CORINTHIANS 2:4-11, we see a side of forgiveness that none of us want to ever confront--not as offender, and certainly not as the one offended. Still, even more than that incest and molestation have such a profound and far-reaching effect that even those not directly touched by it, are hurt. These are the people Paul was talking to. He was talking to the people who were "indirectly" affected by this very heinous sin. The tendency with such sins/crimes is to forget about mercy and forgiveness and to seek vengeance and justice, ONLY. If you lived in the days of Moses and the prophets--that reaction would have been just fine. But, since Jesus brought grace and taught us to forgive so completely--as if blind to the offense; relieving (totally) the offender of the punishment and any penalty for the offense, it has not been the same. There is a reason for this, too. Not just one, actually. First, when we apply such all-encompassing forgiveness to even our grea...

"O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and look at our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You for our own righteousness and justice, but for Your great mercy and loving-kindness.  O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, give heed and act! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name ."   [Daniel 9:18,19] REBELLION is so destructive. Daniel was in the midst of a people suffering the effects of profound rebellion against God. He knew what God had said (through the prophet, Jeremiah) and pronounced--70 years of punishment because of their unrighteousness, but still Daniel sought God fervently--appealing to His, and reminding Him that His Name is at stake. Daniel knew that not one of them was deserving--they were receiving justice; in fact, the justice was merciful. God had destroyed many of His people for being rebellious, idol...

I often think about the differences between the Old Testament ways and thinking of man and the teaching in the New Testament--and the striking contrasts. The 25th Psalm is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. The Psalmist is praying for his enemies to "be ashamed" and often we read in the Psalms as he prays for their destruction, confusion, and shame. In the New Testament, Jesus ushers in a radical change with His teaching of "turn the other cheek", "forgive them who trespass against us", "love your enemies" and "pray for them that despitefully use you". No wonder they thought He was a false prophet--His words were so opposite everything they had become accustomed to hearing and being taught for hundreds of years. They had rehearsed and embedded a very different message--a type of What was to come. It was veiled to them. They couldn't see grace. They saw vengeance, so they awaited a Warrior Who would re...

Mankind is great at pointing fingers but when looking into mirrors somehow things get really distorted. Some of the biggest lies told, are before the mirrors of the soul. In the short term, it's easier to believe the mirror's lie of "Thou art the fairest of them all!" in regard to our lives and righteousness, rather than truly examining ourselves to find out--based on God's mirror if we really do fair, so favorably. We would rather believe the mirrors of other men and ourselves, than hear God's opinion about the reflection of our innermost being. Most of us would be surprised to find out that God doesn't see us exactly as we see ourselves. He beckons, He convicts, He speaks, but we tune out so much because it is uncomfortable to us--and those are the things that we want to keep untouched. We will say that is in the past, it is buried in the sea of forgetfulness. God does that, for sure; but if that thing continues to plague you in thi...