At one point in my dream, I found myself in a large room with many other believers. I had the distinct impression that we were gathered together due to the prevailing challenging circumstances. We were all praying in the Spirit. There was some passion and urgency in our prayers, I guess it was proportional to the amount of pressure we were all under (oh, the wisdom of pressure that can, if we choose, push us into the Father’s heart).
I remember I had this song bubble up in my heart and out of my mouth…
Praise Him, He is here!
Praise Him, He is here!
Praise Him, He is here!
Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him!
It was at this point that I woke up.
Then I started bumbling around with my smartphone, pressing wrong buttons and waking up my wife (always not a good thing). I was trying to write down the above simple song that not only praises Jesus but acknowledges His presence. I knew I wouldn’t remember it in the morning. I finally succeeded.
It took me a while to go back to sleep but as I pondered and sang this song (in my head) I remembered the scripture where Jesus has a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well.[Luke 4:1-26] In particular, Jesus, at one point says to the woman (verse 22)
…”You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know”…
As this woman found out, an encounter with Jesus radically transforms our praise and worship. We begin to praise and worship what we know, or rather, who we know, instead of who or what we don’t know. We go from worshiping in ignorance to worshiping in truth. What a great revelation and freedom this is!
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (not where but who) (not ignorance but truth): …21 “Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.…
(Inspired by a message given by Chrishan Jeyaratnam(Hillsong Church State Leader – Western Australia/Bali) entitled ‘The Leper King’ – Sunday 26/07/20)
Chrishan spoke about the story in the Bible of the 10 lepers and how 10 were healed but only one came back to praise and thank Jesus.Luke 17:11-19
I want to particularly focus on a quote Chrishan gave from C.S.Lewis which greatly spoke to me. This quote was originally taken from C.S.Lewis’ book ‘Reflections on the Psalms’ [P93-97] but is also reproducedherein a devotion from the C.S.Lewis Institute. Here is the C.S.Lewis quote…
“I think we delight to praise what we enjoybecause the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed […] The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. But we shall then know that these are the same thing. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” – C.S.Lewis
There is a revelation moment here for me. There is something deeper here to be grasped. C.S.Lewis is able to form into words something quite profound about praise.
“Praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment”– praise is the completed work of enjoying God. It’s the end product of knowing Him!
“Praise is the appointed consummation” – what a marvelous way to describe praise! God isn’t demanding us bow and praise Him for some kind of vane reason – no! – God is not like that! – no, no – praise expresses the completed (and ongoing) revelation of enjoying Him and “we delight to praise what we enjoy”. 🙂
“In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him” – AMEN!
“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the presence [face] of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”[Gen3:8 AMP]
What Does God Sound Like?
I often wonder what would it sound like to hear God walking in the garden…would there be a mighty roar of wind?…would there be a gentle rustling of leaves?…would there be the sound of God’s footsteps?…or perhaps ‘the sound of the Lord’ relates to a sixth sense, a‘spirit to Spirit’ sense that Adam and Eve were aware that the Lord was in the garden. Indeed, God did create them in His image [Gen 1:26-27] – which would include a spirit, as well as the soul and body.
And the mystery of God’s presence being in the garden (more than in any other place) really points to God having a form which, for me, points to Jesus. So my long bow with this verse is that from time to time, or probably daily (knowing the love and character of God), Jesus would walk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening (as He also did with His disciples when He was here on earth). You know, I believe sometimes we can get caught up in the harshness of the Old Testament and we can really miss this altogether – How great is the Father’s love is for His creation and how He longs and loves to fellowship with it (and how disappointed He must have been that Adam and Eve were attempting to hide from Him).
In any case (even if you do not agree with the above), Adam and Eve were familiar with the ‘sound of Lord’ and they knew He was in the garden and yet they did not go to Him as I suspect they usually would have, because of their sin. Fellowship and relationship with God was broken that day and instead of perhaps running to Him they hid from His face. This was a very sad day for humanity and for God!
But here is the Good News :-)…
Jesus came to restore everything that was lost through Adam at ‘the fall’!
(‘the fall’ = the fall of humanity through the sin of Adam and Eve)
To understand what has been restored through Jesus let us have a look at what has been lost through Adam.
Through Adam relationship and intimacy with our Heavenly Father have been lost. Our inherited sinful nature rebels against God and His Word. The penalty for our sin and rebellion is death and Hell. We are lost, we are condemned, we are without hope, we are without a purpose, we are without a future, and we are completely powerless and helpless to do anything about where we are heading. There is no way of escape and, because of God’s perfect judgement, nor do we deserve a way of escape.
Now putting the bad news aside here is the Good News :-)…
Jesus came to restore everything that was lost!
Through Jesus and His death and resurrection,our judgement and condemnation has been fully paid for through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We are no longer lost but we are saved by God. We are no longer hopeless but now have great hope in our Saviour and we live in the purposes and calling of our Heavenly Father which He has planned for us before the beginning of time. We are no longer powerless and helpless against the schemes of the enemy but we have given given authorityin the name of Jesus through his great victory over the devil at the cross. The authority that had been forfeited by Adam has been restored by Christ. The devil doesn’t even have the keys to His own jails anymore. He is rendered powerless! All he has is lies and tricks. All authority has been given to Christ and to all who are in Christ, Jesus has given His authority. So if we don’t fall into a rebellious life or we are not tricked by the devil schemes we are truly free, free indeed [John 8:36] by the finished work of Jesus on the cross!
Even further, as if this was not enough, Jesus came to give us far more than we could ever hope for or imagine[Eph 3:20]! Jesus calls us not to a life of mediocrity but a life of abundance!
In John 10:10 Jesus says“I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”
When I mention abundant life I am not overlooking troubles that can come our way from time to time that can place great demands on our faith and our character. In John 16:33 Jesus was aware of these and said there will be “tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] and He said this so that in Him “we may have [perfect]peace.”
This abundant life that Jesus speaks of in John 10:10 is created by the Author and Creator of life himself. The One who gave us life is the One who can give us our best life. God knows all about us and He has made each one of us a perfect and abundant life plan for our lives – imagine a life to the max – a life overflowing in abundance! A life of perfect peace! How can this be possible?
Getting Back to the Garden
What was life like in the Garden of Eden before the Fall and how do we get back there?
Here are a few observations about the Garden of Eden before the fall. The Garden was:
a place created by God for Adam and Eve to live and enjoy.
a place where God could enjoy and commune with His creation.
a place for Adam and Eve to fellowship with one another and to fellowship and commune with God.
a place for Adam and Eve to rule and to have dominion over all of creation.
a place that displayed the magnificence, creativity and glory of God.
I’ve had a revelation (which I don’t mind if you accept or reject) the Garden of Eden is no longer a physical place but a Spiritual place.
If the Garden of Eden is no longer a physical place but a Spiritual place how do we get back there?
Just before Jesus ascended He said to His disciples “don’t leave Jerusalem until you are baptized, empowered and united with the Holy Spirit”[Acts 1:4-5].
The key here is a life empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit comforts us, gives us peace, teaches us, counsels us, encourages us, exhorts us, gives us wisdom, gives us Spiritual gifts to help others, helps us to worship God, convicts us of sin, gives us strength, shows us the truth, guides us, helps us to pray, produces fruit in our lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, and is always with us everywhere we go.
The Garden of Eden or Utopia or Shangri-La or Paradise or any other place of contentment or peace or rest are not found in a physical place but found in a place in our heart where Jesus comes to live with us by His Spirit.
Jesus says:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls.For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”[Matt 11:28-30]
True contentment or true peace or true rest for our souls is found in Christ alone. This is not a physical place (like the Garden of Eden) but it is a Spiritual place. It is a position or posture of our heart to receive the Good News about Christ, and to receive the infilling of His Holy Spirit.Then, as God’s Word says, “our new, real life is hidden with Christ in God”[Col 3:2-3] – the safest, most peaceful, most restful and most contented place we can find!
This life is available to everyone but not everyone finds this life:
I have been keeping my eye on the release of the film “Blood Money” link here. Here is what film says about itself…
BloodMoney is a documentary film that exposes the truth behind the Abortion Industry from the Pro Life perspective.
This film will examine the history of abortion in America, from the inception of Planned Parenthood and the profitability of abortion clinics, to Roe v. Wade, to the denial of when life begins, to the fight to save the lives of innocent babies, and the devastating effects it has had on the women that have had them.
“Conception is the physical manifestation of the person that God already knows”
There is debate in the secular community as to when a baby is acknowledged as a human and having human ‘rights’ rather than being a foetus or a piece of tissue that can be discarded. I suggest, from God’s point of view, looking at the Bible, that the soul of a person is in the mind of God even before conception. Therefore, life is divinely given, and has a soul (here on this Earth at least) from the time of conception. Here are some verses to consider.
It is God who knits us together in the womb…
“You knit me together in my mother womb”
Ps 139:13-15 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
We where in God mind before we were physically conceived…
“You saw me before I was born”
Ps 139:16a 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. NLT
As God knew and formed Jeremiah, he also knew us and formed us and even set us apart (all those who are in Christ)…
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother womb”
Jer 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” NLT
Esau and Jacob jostled each other even before birth…
The babies jostled each other within her; “Two nations are in your womb”
Gen 25:21-26 21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
23 The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. NIV
Hos 12:3 3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God. NIV
See how the Lord announces himself to Isaiah…
“He who formed you in the womb”
Isa 44:2 2 This is what the LORD says — he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: NIV Isa 44:24 24 “This is what the LORD says — your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: NIV Isa 49:5 5 And now the LORD says — he who formed me in the womb to be his servant NIV
Even before John the Baptist was born (from the womb) he was filled with the Holy Spirit…
“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth”
Luke 1:11-17 11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” NLT
John was filled with the Holy Spirit even before birth. Perhaps that is why he lept for joy when he met the pregnant mother of Jesus…
“The baby in my womb leaped for joy”
Luke 1:39-45 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” NIV
Our Lord Jesus humbled himself to the point of being conceived in the womb of Mary. The physical embreaking of the Kingdom of God through Jesus on this Earth began at conception…
“You will conceive and give birth to a son”
Luke 1:30-36 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. NLT
God’s ultimate plan. For us to be conformed to the image of His Son, through His Son, for His glory…
“God knows His people in advance, He chooses them to become like His Son”
Rom 8:29-30 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. NLT
Father, your divine ‘handywork’ is all over conception, formation and birth of babies. No wonder Satan wants to destroy your creation, even before birth. Father, I praise you for life. I praise you for the miracle of conception, formation and birth of babies. You know us even before conception. All our days are recorded even before we take our first breath. Father, be with babies of miscarriage and babies of abortion. There voices are small compared to the ‘roaring lion’. Protect them, comfort them, love them in your arms. Forgive those that would harm them, in Jesus name, Amen.
“We are in an interesting battle, whether we realise it or not, in this world. It’s a battle between life and death. What side are you on?”
“I know, along my journey, I am already hated because I declare life!”
“How much are you willing to take, and how much are you willing to risk, to speak the truth in love and graciousness, and stand up and, at least, be willing to be hated?
“There was not a radical feminist, standing up and yelling about how my rights had been violated that day. In fact my life was being snuffed out in the name of womens rights.”
“There are things that you are only able to learn by the weakest among us. And when you snuff them out you are the one that looses. The Lord looks after them but you are the one who will suffer for ever.”
“And what arrogance, what absolute arrogance, and it has been an arguement for so long in this human place that we live, that the stronger should dominate the weaker, should determine who lives and dies. The arrogance of that! Don’t you realise that you cannot make your own heart beat. Don’t you realise that all the power that you think that you possess you really possess none of it. It is the mercy of God that sustains you, even when you hate Him.”
“We misunderstand how beautiful suffering can be. I don’t willingly sign up for it, but when it comes, we forget that God is in control and God has a way of making the most miserable thing beautiful.”
“Men, you are made for greatness. You are made to stand up and be men. You are made to defend women and children, not stand by, and turn your head, when you know murder is occurring and do nothing about it. You are not made to use women and leave us alone. You are made to be kind and great and gracious and strong and stand for something because men, listen to me, I am too tired to do your job.”
“Women, you are not made for abuse. You are not made to sit and not know your worth and your value. You are made to be fought for, forever.”
“So now is your moment, what sort of people are you going to be? I trust, incredible. I trust, men, you will rise to the occassion. To the politians listening, particularly to the men, I would say this, you are made for greatness, set your politics aside. You are made to defend what is right and good, this fiery young girl will stand here and say, now it your moment. What sort of man do you want to be? A man obsessed with your own glory or a man obsessed with the glory of God? It’s time to take a stand, Victoria. This is your hour. God will assist you. God will be with you. You have the opportunity to glorify and honour God in 2008.”
“Some of you might be slightly annoyed that all I keep doing is talking about God and Jesus but how on earth can I walk about, limping through this world and not give ALL my heart and mind and soul and strength to the Christ who gave me life! So if you think I am a fool, it’s just another jewel in my crown. My whole intent in living here is to make God smile.”
Gianna Jessen, abortion survivor speaks at Queen’s Hall, Parliament House, Victoria (Australia) September 8 2008 on the eve of the debate to decriminalize abortion in Victoria. Gianna’s visit was sponsored by the Ad Hoc Interfaith Committee – Part 1
Gianna Jessen, abortion survivor speaks at Queen’s Hall, Parliament House, Victoria (Australia) September 8 2008 on the eve of the debate to decriminalize abortion in Victoria. Gianna’s visit was sponsored by the Ad Hoc Interfaith Committee – Part 2
“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” [John 17:14]
Goodness! – what a title for a post! I hate the word foetus. It SO depersonalises the BABY in the womb. The baby in the womb isn’t an ‘it’ or a thing. Let’s dispense with the word foetus!
I’m thinking, what if the baby in the womb could speak!
Or what if an aborted baby could speak, what would they say?
What if they could passionately and articulately argue for their right to life. Wouldn’t we have to listen? Wouldn’t things be different? I mean, if they could speak and argue their existence it would be a no brainer. We would have to say “Well done, intelligent and articulate baby. We can see your reasoning. You are just like us. We can see you have a right to live. Welcome to this life!”
However, this is but a fanciful dream. In reality, babies in the womb are helpless and vulnerable and cannot speak for themselves. So…
Babies in the womb need an advocate!
Babies in the womb need our help!
Gianna Jessen was aborted at birth but, through a series of miracles, survived to become an advocate for babies in the womb. She is a testimony of passionate survival and courage through the trials in her life. Gianna loves Jesus and lifts Him higher at every opportunity. This message is not just ‘pro life rhetoric’ but a heart felt, God breathed, cry for LIFE, LIFE and MORE LIFE! Life in abundance. Life in all it’s fullness. It’s a call to drawing a line. It’s time to take a stand. Enough is enough! Be a man of God! Be a woman of God!
Are we standing up and fighting for the things that matter?
Gianna Jessen, abortion survivor speaks at Queen’s Hall, Parliament House, Victoria (Australia) September 8 2008 on the eve of the debate to decriminalize abortion in Victoria. Gianna’s visit was sponsored by the Ad Hoc Interfaith Committee – Part 1
Gianna Jessen, abortion survivor speaks at Queen’s Hall, Parliament House, Victoria (Australia) September 8 2008 on the eve of the debate to decriminalize abortion in Victoria. Gianna’s visit was sponsored by the Ad Hoc Interfaith Committee – Part 2
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe"
Enlightened Hope 