Why Is That Song in My Head?

While working on a massive post, Yeshua saw fit to give me something else to post. This one cracked me up because it is just so… odd. How can anybody not love Him? LOL! Enjoy!

Have you ever been simply doing whatever it is you had to do, and, out of nowhere, a song you had not heard in years, secular or religious, just popped into your head… and will not go away? Or, even more annoying, when you start singing or humming the thing and you cannot stop. We usually dismiss it as a brain fart, but what if there was something more we were supposed to notice?

From 2005 to now, I have been living mostly music-free (some classical and jazz for the children)—too busy researching and the majority of secular and religious tunes has been grating my nerves since 2000. Why, in 2009, did the refrain and ending chant of Chaka Khan’s Through the Fire start coming out of my mouth while checking out a conspiracy website? After a couple of rounds out of my mouth and another in my head, I stopped what I was doing to analyze the words. “Oh, those parts are like my relationship with Christ.” Silence… Message received, or so I thought.

Nope, it returned often for over a year. I just shrugged it off, sticking with my first analysis, seeing it as a reminder. One day, when my family was out, I was listening to Henry Gruver’s prophecy about nuclear disaster coming to the US. Gruver mentioned the Lord asking him if he could deal with losing everything, including his wife and children. That part stuck with me for a long time. Afterwards, I had lain down to nap and kept thinking, “Can I do that? Can I give up everything, even the family I had desired and received, to follow Him?” I burst into tears and slid onto my knees. Everything physical goes on the altar to be burned; everything intangible gets nailed to the cross. “Let Your will be done. Let Your will be done. Let Your will be done…”

The refrain and ending chant never returned unless I actively think on it.

I had an attack of nostalgia in 2011 and ended up watching hours of music videos from the 1960s through 2003 for several days. It wrapped up with my favorite scene from the movie, The Color Purple (God’s Trying to Tell Your Something). When I went to sleep that night, the refrain, “Lord’s trying to tell you something” ripped through my chest and ears. I awoke with a slight shock; it was so loud. I asked, yet too lazy to get up, “What is it? You servant is listening.” Nothing… I went back to sleep.

In 2012, I had another episode of looking back at old videos, which He halted. “Enough of that.” Not long after, I heard a sermon by Gary C. Price warning us about going down memory lane. Uh-oh… I forgot about those the following year and the Father used the spouse to thwart that one (unbeknownst to spouse). Yeah, slow on the intake, but I got the message: don’t make this a habit; leave the past in the past unless it is a testimony.

A month ago, two days prior to Bible study night, the chorus from Show Me by The Cover Girls started to randomly pop up. Ugh! It kept nagging at me during the drive to the study. “Argh, why is this stupid song playing in my head?” It stopped for good when I pulled into the parking lot. I will admit this “church system” assignment frustrates me, tempting me to skip out altogether. Of course, I got the message on the drive back home: to love Him is to obey Him, no matter what. Well, this is better than walking around barefoot and naked for 3 years or eating bread cooked over dried cow patties.

The Lord showed me another angle this morning. Remember, if you are dead to self, getting offended is no long an issue for you unless you sense He is offended. When the Lord does speak to you through a song of any kind, that does not mean He wants you to use it in worship. There are plenty of YouTube vids showing choirs using secular songs or styles during service—big mistake. This falls into the category of religious activity not ordained by Yah, but FOR YOU ALONE. Just because He inspired you through a tune does not mean it is for everyone. This is why, once again, it is imperative for believers to hear Yeshua for themselves and see the Father at work.

I do not believe in coincidence or random happenings for no reason on this Walk, so this may be a little head’s-up for someone out there.

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Is This the Signal?

The Living Word said I will know when it is time to leave this assembly I am attending. I had a dream on September 28th, months prior to this assignment, that a pastor would say, “Just because something is plausible, does not mean it actually is.” Will these be the words that set me free? Stay tuned…

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Thought Splatters (Slurp!)

You cannot mentally ascend to Christ. You can study and analyze all you want but salvation requires such an intimate relationship with Him that He becomes you and the Will of God shines out of you. The sex act under the marriage covenant symbolizes this.

Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, and Mark 1:15 Repent, for the Kingdom of YHWH is at hand. Translation: Change your mind, your heart, your effort—your very life (soul), for YHWH is here to dwell within you.

Colossians 1:27 …Christ in you, the hope of glory. Translation: The Living Word transforms you into His Light to shine upon (give hope to) the world.

Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7, Isaiah 35:8, 1 Peter 1:16 “Be holy, for I am holy.” Translation: I am separated from the influence of the physical plane, therefore, through Me, you will also become separated.

John 4:23 “…worship [serve the Kingdom, minister to the Body] in spirit [our connection to the Father, the Holy Spirit] and in truth [His knowledge and wisdom, the Living Word, Yeshua]…”

The entire Bible is a parable, full of parables. And guess what? Your entire life is a parable, full of parables.

An epiphany for church-seekers: Instead of asking Yah for fellowship, why not ask Him for more opportunities to serve Him and the Body along with the words and actions needed to accomplish His desire? Solomon asked for wisdom in order to guide all of Israel (2 Chronicles 1:7-13). Jesus repeatedly said He only did what His Father wanted Him to do (Matthew 26:39, John 4:34, John 5:19, John 5:30, John 5:36, John 6:38, John 8:16, John 8:28, John 8:29, John 12:49, John 12:50, John 14:10, John 17:4).

Unless one studies Torah, one may get a wrong impression about what sin is. For example, some teach that those who are in second marriages after a divorce must divorce and remarry the first spouse. Torah says otherwise, Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Also see the symbolism of it in Jeremiah 3:1.

Contrary to popular belief, there can be people devoted to His will and yet be under an unrighteous teacher or in a spiritually dead assembly. May He get the glory, always!

“You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink,” goes the saw. Yet, the Holy Spirit can make an ass speak. It is the power of the Father that changes hearts, not education.

Why can’t I think of wise, spiritual things to say when I need it? Yeshua, please, I need Your Words; I crave Your Wisdom!

What is active submission? Persistently seeking the will (not permission, unless you want to know if it is His will) of the Father while either doing good works (Acts 10:1-4) OR accomplishing whatever He told you to do (Acts 10:5-8).

“Lord, people are going to think I’m touched in the head.” “But I was taught this, not that…” “This is crazy! It can’t possibly be from You, Jesus.” He does not care about what we or anyone else thinks—obey Him, go through the fire, and ask for more of Him to fill that empty space which used to contain self.

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Body Parts

During a Bible study, I described the huge plant that came from the tiny mustard seed as the Body, “I am the Vine (the seed) and you are the branches (the growth).” Someone else said the church and gave praise to the over 1 billion people who say Jesus is my Savior. The minister agreed with that.

Wait… I thought people used the terms Body and church interchangeably. These two focused on the system and its growth being what Jesus wanted. If that were true, then why is the world growing increasingly wicked? Why have all these factions (denominations)?

Missing Parts?

Yeshua told me there is a connection between 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4:11:

Christ – the brain
Apostles – right hand
Prophets – left hand
Evangelists – the heart
Pastors – right foot
Teachers – left foot
Each person’s service – the rest of His Body

This means believers are a part of an organic, living Body, not a system or place. From this model, the pastors (shepherds) and teachers support the Body and propel it forward on His Path. The apostles and prophets perform His Actions on the Body and in the world. The evangelists keep fresh lives moving throughout His Body as quickly as He makes them. Notice, the division into 7 main parts—7 being the number of spiritual perfection or completion.

Now who works for whom?
Where does it say the elders are the head?
Where does it say the pastor/minister/priest/etc. is the head?
How many assemblies are actually “crippled” and not even know it?
Where does it say a building is the “house (family) of the Lord” anymore?
Are the Bible, the church system, and man-made doctrines the crutches keeping it from toppling over?

Is it any wonder unbelievers turn their noses up at it?

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A Warning for Heresy Hunters

On Andrew Strom’s old website, he posted a great article full of thought-provoking truth. Some took offense because it came from IHOP. An argument ensued and Strom used the term heresy hunters, the first time I had ever seen it utilized.  The next day, the entry had disappeared. Pity…

That situation shone a light on my own behavior. So easy it is to get trapped in fault finding and finger pointing. I had become a zealot—no mercy or grace, being correct is paramount. Thankfully, it was for only a couple of month. See, He allows us to make errors, but if we stay in seeking and doing His supernatural will, He will eventually correct us. Remember, being righteous is not the same as being correct; only one human was ever correct, Yeshua. As it is written, “Let YHWH be true and every man a liar.

The Father never inspired me to check out IHOP and they do have questionable doctrine, but He has had me read a teaching and listen to two great sermons from one of their minister in Africa. I admit I do use the internet as a means to see opinions about a teacher or ministry, but He can still guide me to something useful a false prophet has said that I needed to hear… and move on. Other times, I find the heresy hunter missed the mark and the teacher he debated with actually had a lot of great information. Yah uses both the righteous and unrighteous [Nebuchadnezzar, My servant] to get His will done, which is why we can still use the Bible despite of its imperfections and alterations. We must receive discernment directly from Him to make sure we are not throwing out truth because we hate the package. This is the spiritual meaning of James 2:1-13.

What I usually see is that those hunting the most are not hearing from Yeshua Himself. Truth is not a mental and moral ascension, but a person. Get to know Him. For those who claim to be hearing from Him, see below:

Revelation 2:2-6 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for My name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans [ruling over the lay people], which I also hate.

What was the love you had at first?

Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30 Love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the YHWH your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am YHWH.

Leviticus 19:34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am YHWH your God.

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Mark 12:33 and Luke 10:27 And to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Galatians 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.

1 John 4:21 And He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

“But I am loving them,” you say, “by pointing out their error and warning others.”

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy [loyalty] and not sacrifice [your own works], the knowledge of God [seek Me] rather than burnt offerings [the outward appearance].

Matthew 9:13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Matthew 12:7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

“But, false teachers are leading the sheep astray!”

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound (healthy) teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first…

Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

Psalm 81:12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

Hebrews 10:30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” [Deuteronomy 32:35, Proverbs 20:22, Psalm 94:1, Jeremiah 51:56, Nahum 1:2, Romans 12:19] and again, “YHWH will judge His people.” [Deuteronomy 32:36, Jeremiah 25:29, Jeremiah 49:12, 1 Peter 4:17]

Who is the Savior, you or Yeshua? Have you taken the place of His Holy Guide?

If heresy hunting and being correct comprise more than 10% of your discussion about Christ and the brethren, then you have no trust in Yah doing His job. Yeshua did not call anyone to this type of focus; He called us to love (fruit of the Spirit) and to plant seeds of the Word. Pray for them. Turn them over to Yah. Move on! Yes, you can point out disagreements and faults, but let it be a tiny portion and don’t beat people over the head with it.

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Fast from SELF, Not Food

I hate Lent. From the outside looking in, I see no other time of the year where Christians are the most self-righteous. A growing number of Protestants are now practicing it. Jesus never ordained this activity, no matter how well one twists Scripture to validate it. When He did His 40-day fast, it was by the direction of His Father, a part of the testing (subjugation of flesh and soul) before starting His ministry.

Because so few are hearing from Jesus Himself or making sure others hear Him, we have fruitless practices that give a self-gratifying, outward appearance. He warned us about that:

Matthew 6:16-18 And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Self, Not Sin, Is the Problem

Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Since self is what invites the sin, shouldn’t self be put to death? The concept, “death to self,” means that we die daily to the influence of the world and give our souls—our entire lives—over to Him. The flesh goes on the altar for Him to burn up what He wants. Anything left, we can have. The soul—mind, heart, willpower—goes on the cross. The only thing coming down from that cross is the husk, the child-like faith—trusting that He will take care of us as we grow into the Body. Everything else will be replaced as stated in Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 24:7, Jeremiah 32:39, Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:26, Ezekiel 37:14, Mark 9:47, John 3:3, 2 Corinthians 3:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Peter 1:23.

Luke 14:26-27 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

No, doing good will not net you any favors with Him. Demanding blessings simply because you believe Jesus is Lord and Savior will actually drive you further away from Him. He refuses to be manipulated or cajoled. He is not a cosmic Santa Claus. He is your Father Creator and King; serve Him, not self.

So few are actually seeking what He wants or giving Him the one thing He desires most of all—complete control over the path to the Father. It is not about being good in the eyes of self and men, but His supernatural work in you. When does a person allow His supernatural Will and Word to take over from the control of men and institutions?

This process of salvation, or dying daily so He can live within us, continues until He calls us home. Yes, we will mess up, but He knows that. Trust Him. Are you ready to start your lifelong fast from self yet?

Other great writings on the subject: What Is Fasting?

The Kind of Fasting That Gets God’s Attention

The Real Meaning of Fasting Is to Stop Eating Any Other Things than Christ and Eat the Lord as the Living Word!

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Cherry Picking

Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

Some would say a person following Christ outside of the church system is a permanent victim of what is in the passage above. I counter with this:

Galatians 5:20, 1 Corinthians 1:13, 1 Corinthians 3:3, 1 Corinthians 11:19, 2 Corinthians 12:20 all speak of factions (divisions, strife) being in disobedience. Man has split the Body into conflicting camps, having some things right and many others wrong. So what are those outside of the system supposed to do? Just pick one and hope for the best?

Nay, there is a better way—seek the Father and trust that His Son and Spirit will lead you into all truth. How that will manifest will differ for each person. He may not have you ever attend church. He might have you attend a few or many churches over the years. He could ask you to leave church altogether. The whole point is to seek His will and not man’s. Who gets the glory and credit in that scenario?

As for me, He led me through a “pilgrimage of church and religion” via research and a scant church experience. This resulted in Christ guiding my steps towards the hidden good fruit (ideas, doctrines, practices, etc.) of each denomination, while leaving the bad stuff alone. I am not “tossed to and fro” but since man fractured the Ecclesia, the good stuff got scattered all over creation.

Trust nothing I or anyone else says. Do not trust another person’s or your interpretation of the Bible or Yah’s Will. Only seek and trust the supernatural Word and Will of the Father Creator. Yeshua is the only one who has earned the authority to say yea or nay to anything we present to Him.

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Incomplete Instruction

During the twelfth day of my foray into the church system (eleventh at this facility), I suffered through an incomplete sermon. An incomplete teaching is one when the main idea is totally missed and/or a soulish concept is used instead. This sermon highlighted the disciples’ predicted desertion of Jesus prior to His death, which was a great topic. Understandably tailored for baby believers, the sermon could have touched on God using their fear to protect them for their later work, since all but one had died from persecution eventually. It also could have mentioned they had not had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit yet. I overlooked those two because they are not essential to salvation.

The minister, after going over what happened at the last meal, the garden capture and their hiding in the upper room, expounded upon our sin putting Yeshua on the cross. No problems there, seeing as Yeshua was the Passover Lamb. He did a compare/contrast of our lives in relation to what Jesus suffered. Again, no problem with that. He then stressed looking at the cross, looking at what we did to Him.

My insides screamed, “Death to self! Tell them about death to self! Tell them they need to get on that cross with Him daily! Why aren’t you telling them this?”

The answer came shortly. This minister believes we can work our way to Him, that we can overcome sin ourselves. Therefore, his job is to gently guilt and shame us into changing our behavior. LOL! If that were the case, this existence would be much different, yes?

He brought up enduring the trial and troubles of life. That was fine… until he said he did not know why bad things happened to us. Oh, my God, please have mercy on this blind guide! Open his eyes! I had mentioned to the friend who had invited me there about refinement. She said they do teach about that. Evidentially, not thoroughly enough!

A Breakdown

The relationship we have with Yeshua right now is the preparation of a permanent union. It is a love affair—He pursues us; we pursue Him. He flirts with us; we sing praises to Him. He gives us gifts; we receive them and tell Him how much we love and appreciate Him. He caresses us; we caress Him in return. He enters us; we receive Him in joy…

Uncomfortable yet?

Yes, I am talking about making love on the spiritual tip. The sexual union between husband and wife symbolizes of how deep our relationship with Christ is supposed to be. If you are disturbed by this, you missed the reason why the Song of Solomon was included in Scripture. Everything in the Bible points to Christ and His mission on Earth. Consider this another stumbling block, soon to be a mile marker, on the way to maturity.

Our trials and troubles in life symbolize the struggle we have to maintain that intimate relationship. This is why death to self is vital—self invites sin, therefore we die daily to the influence of flesh/soul and this world so He can fill us full of Him. Like any relationship, we must apologize and seek forgiveness for any missteps—not dwell on errors, believing we will never be good enough. We live, we learn, we move on, becoming closer to Him. We maintain a faith like a child yet the maturity to exercise the gifts He has given us.

A Piece of Sliver

Towards the end of service, I saw why He kept me quiet: a young woman had made the decision to follow Christ. Didn’t want her scared off, eh, Father? The minister always offers up the sanctuary for prayer after service. I decided to take advance of it and started praying right where I sat. Desperate to rejoice in this assignment (keep visiting this assembly), I gave Him praise, thanksgivings, and sought to tap that river of living water because I was running out of words.

Permission granted. I lost control. My mouth whispered tongues, lips moving a mile a minute. I still praised and thanked Him in my mind. The world became background noise. Tears flowed. Nose wiped. Time gone…

A hand on my back pulled me out of my reverie. A nice, older gentleman noticed my actions and worried that I had been in distress. I assured him I was fine, just letting the silent tongues flow as to not disturb those unaccustomed to it. We had a discussion on family problems, the state of education and religious practices. His wife was sick, so I made a mental note to pray for her (and remembered, phew!) The woman who had been seated behind me had returned to retrieve her Bible and joined the conversation. Now that was a lovely bit of fellowship.

A Fallacy

The idea that education is the key to the knowledge of Christ (intellectualism) misses the point Yeshua made when He said, “I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.” To know, in the Biblical sense, is the sexual union; the lawlessness of our intimate relationship with Him is not knowing (being penetrated by) His supernatural Will. If Yeshua is the Lord of the Sabbath, then He alone gets to dictate what our rest in Him is. This is why constant, active submission to Him is so critical. And, no, you do not get to lie on your back and think of England, either.

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Strings of Pearls

Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Matthew 13:45-46 [Yeshua said,] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

A string of Scriptural pearls is a collection of biblical concepts and phrases, connecting the Old with the New Testament, the teachings of Jesus with the Epistles, or His teachings alone. They can be simple or complex:

Numbers 24:172 Samuel 8:2

Isaiah 11:1Jeremiah 23:5Ezekiel 37:25Micah 5:2Zechariah 3:8Zechariah 6:12Matthew 1:1Matthew 8:28-32Matthew 26:53John 4:25-26John 8:12John 8:18John 18:36Acts 13:23Hebrews 7:14Revelation 5:5Revelation 19:13

Positive Flow (Order)

Male Female

           

Spirit Soul

           

Guidance ← Instruction

          

The Will The Word

Negative Flow (Confusion, Conflict)

Male Female

            

Beast Harlot

            

   Flesh Adulteress

Here is a string that would make a great bible study, if continued:

Blood = Life = Soul

                  

Gen. 4:10 Gen. 9:4 Gen. 2:7

                                     

Christ’s blood = Christ in you = Acts 4:32

Also see: Follow the Thread

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Being in-of the Spirit… and Sleepy

Quick explanation: once you have experienced the drenching of the Holy Spirit, that penetrating connection stays on all of the time. When you are “in-of the Spirit,” Jesus or the Father adjusts the amount of spiritual power and the type of gift displayed, depending on the situation.

As I wrote my last blog entry, I realized the Father had turned up the “Spirit of Jesus” dial on me. The sensation increased after I had finished through pondering and talking to Him about other things I could have written. I did not sleep much the night prior, so I had lain down to nap, but I was still too “on” to sleep. Soon, words and sentences came into me and I debated about getting up and writing them down. “I need sleep, please.”

The Father had turned the spiritual volume down when I awoke. Argh! I should have forgone sleep because I cannot remember a word He delivered. I wanted to kick myself! Sorry, Father. Lesson learned. Do not let this happened to you!

Proverbs 6:9-11 [and Proverbs 24:33-34]
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.

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