Hot and Cold; Sand and Rock

April 10, 2017

Hot and Cold; Sand and Rock

Revelation

Hot and Cold

14 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in [e]Laodicea  (Fauxdom) write:

“These are the words of the Amen, the trusted and faithful and true Witness, the [Beginning and Origin of God’s creation:

15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are [g]neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were [h]cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need], (Fauxdom) 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]. 20 Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

I believe  the Roman Catholic religion was created from weaving Roman tradition into The Way. From the beginning  religion was all about a performance god who remembers sin forever. Contrary to what the Word says regarding the fact that Jesus dealt with sin once and for all, religion created a shame based, guilt infused, self-loathing mandate, and ultimately perverted what Jesus paid for on the cross, in agony BTW.  I believe Revelation is speaking about the fact that Jesus is going to vomit religion out of His mouth. The Church of Laodicia  resurrected everything Jesus put to death on the cross. This church still exists and continues to detour believers from knowing and experiencing  the power, character, nature, ways, power, and authority of The Living God. I  believe that most religion and the fruit of it is pure unadulterated evil. But there is hope in this scripture in seeking the voice of Jesus while sitting at His feet. There is an invitation in this scripture and a map on how to depart from religion and enter into an authentic relationship with The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Man-made religion is a passing shadow because Jesus is going to spit it out. The Rock of my Salvation is who I choose to listen to; The Rock is my foundation.  The foreigners are the people who stand at the pulpit and weave the rope around the necks of the innocent and insist on another identity apart from The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

 

Sand and Rock

The world, the flesh and the devil are my enemies. It takes the Rock of My Salvation to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. My religion makes sense in the attributes of God and in my receiving the same character, nature, ways, power, and authority. There are several nouns listed in this Psalm that reflect attributes of the Living God. “He is my Rock.” The word rock means something to stand on in the midst of “sinking sand” and the raging storm. The rock is also something that David had in his pouch and killed the Philistine with. The rock is something that is “higher than I.” This rock is a mountain that I stand on to see far off places. “My sure and keen strength” describes the rock. “He is my Fortress,” and in this respect my “steadfast love.” My fortress is the steadfast love that surrounds me. He is my “High tower.” I am lifted high into His Tower which is symbolic for heavenly realms, and in that place, He is my defense. My defense comes from a heavenly realm in terms of what I need to survive on this earth–the Lord defends my land, my family, my finances, my marriage,  and in essence everything He has planned to see come into my realm of experience in the world. The world teaches fauxdom. This is what it means to “be in the world but not of it.” We are not subject to the dictates of anything in this world because even in trial and tribulation, “ALL things work together for the good for those called according to His purpose.”

We can be certain of one thing and one thing only in this world, and that is that we can put our entire trust in Him who is our shield. The Shield of God covers our heart. The heart is the place from where we hear the voice of God. The heart is the reflection of Love and the fruits of the spirit. The fact is everything enters the heart before it enters the mind–information goes through the heart. It is the spirit within us that edits that information to reflect the “Mind of Christ.” The Mind of Christ is full of the glory of hope. Faith gives substance to hope–hope is in a person named Jesus Christ who is also God. Jesus is my hope: The Rock of my hope, the Fortress of my hope, the High Tower of my hope, and the Shield of my hope. His steadfast love will fill all of this with joy and He will be my strength through this journey called life. Jesus is the Key to open every door to blessings and goodness. Jesus is the path of life, the Tree of Life, the Bright and Morning Star. He is the bread of life, the winepress, the Word and Jesus is the Hidden manna of heaven. He is eternity and eternity is sure in Him. He will never be moved in the objects of salvation.

Authentic religion is visiting the widows and orphans. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Authenticity is admitting who we are first and asking God to transform us–we are damaged goods because of the world and what we have been “fashioned” into because of the dictates of the world. We are being transformed by the Word and the Spirit of the Living God. Make no mistake–we are alive on this earth because He allows it–we have the gift of life because of Him and Him alone. That means He paid a really high price for us to be saved from the damage done, and the dictates of the world in every aspect of our salvation as we walk it out embraced in the arms of Jesus. Fake, yes, I am a fake copy of who I am as long as I believe in myself or whom I have become from the world’s standards. My authentic self is who I am in Jesus Christ–He holds the vision of my being for all eternity. My authentic self is perfect in His sight–I am enough just the way I am today. With the faith that gives substance to the hope to be more like Jesus today.

Thank you, Jesus.