Monthly Archives: May 2012

Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Adonai Kol Erets

The name of God we discussed in our last weeks chapel was Adonai Kol Erets, Lord of All the Earth. I am taking a little liberty with the Hebrew translation as I just looked up the Hebrew words for Lord, all, earth from the verse we will be using to introduce this name of God.

Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,

For your horn I will make iron

And your hoofs I will make bronze,

That you may pulverize many peoples,

That you may devote to the Lord their unjust gain

And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Micah 4:13

And their wealth to the Adonai of kol the erets…

Now as always for us to grasp the  meaning of this name of God we must put this verse in the context of the whole chapter and the chapter in the context of the whole book, and the book in the context of the entire Word of God. Now I can’t put the entire Bible in the post… but I will put all of Micah 4 in here… trust me it is well worth the read.

And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord  will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say,

“ Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths.”

For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war.

Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

Though all the peoples walk each in the name of his god, as for us, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

“In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will assemble the lame and gather the outcasts, even those whom I have afflicted. I will make the lame a remnant and the outcasts a strong nation, and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever. As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, to you it will come even the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Now, why do you cry out loudly? Is there no king among you, or has your counselor perished, that agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?

“ Writhe and labor to give birth, Daughter of Zion, like a woman in childbirth; for now you will go out of the city, dwell in the field, and go to Babylon. There you will be rescued; there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.

“And now many nations have been assembled against you who say, ‘Let her be polluted, and let our eyes gloat over Zion.’

“But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, and they do not understand His purpose; for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

“Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion, for your horn I will make iron and your hoofs I will make bronze, that you may pulverize many peoples, that you may devote to the Lord their unjust gain and their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

As I read Micah 4:1-13 I can’t help but let verses 12-13 resonate and rest on my heart and mind. It’s just one of those verses that I can grab hold of and stand on through what ever life throws at me.
I read this verse and I thought of my great grandfather sitting on his front porch with his fly swat in hand.  I remembered the way he just patiently sat there… waiting. He didn’t swat wildly at every fly that zoomed by his head. He didn’t have mad flailing arms just trying to whack what ever fly got close. He sat and waited for the flies to get comfortable, waited for them to think he had no clue what what was going on, He sat still and waited until they forgot he was there… and then when several had gathered together in front of him… he quickly, with lightening speed, nailed all of them with one deathly swat.
Our God will destroy His enemies in just this way. I believe that is what God is telling us by this particular name of His, Lord of All the Earth. The leaders of the nations get a big head and actually think they are in control of the world. Nebuchadnezzar thought so at one time as well. He forgot that the power that he had came only because God allowed it to work out His greater purpose and plan.
In Daniel 2 God let Nebuchadnezzar in on a sneak peek of the future of the kingdoms of the world. He gave him a dream and allowed Daniel to interpret to that dream. The dream was of a statue. Here’s a little video that illustrates the dream.

In the dream Nebuchadnezzar learned that he was the head of gold. He learned that after him another nation would come represented by the chest of silver. After this kingdom another would come represented by the belly and thighs of bronze. The legs of iron represented a fourth kingdom and the feet of iron and clay represented a scattering of this fourth kingdom, but then the mountain, formed not of human hands would come and knock this statues feet out from under it and destroy all other kingdoms and this mountain would fill the entire earth never to be destroyed.
If you look through the history books you see that everything described to Nebuchadnezzar by Daniel happened just as God said it would up to the feet of iron and clay. If all that is true then I would bet that big mountain is coming too!
Now Nebuchadnezzar was given this heads up by God and this dream was recorded in the Scriptures. He knew that his kingdom would end… but still he could not get his mind off that head of gold. He grew and grew in arrogance until he actually convinced himself he alone had accomplished his own greatness. God sent old Nebbie a warning in a dream and Daniel interpreted it and begged him to humble himself as he told the king the warning from God… but Nebuchadnezzar could not see past his own glory.
So God put him on his hands and knees in the woods eating grass like an ox for seven years. If the king would not humble himself, then God would do it for him.
After seven years of this Nebuchadnezzar  declared:

“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven

and my reason returned to me,

and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,

And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

But He does according to His will in the host of heaven

And among the inhabitants of earth;

And no one can ward off His hand

Or say to Him, ‘ What have You done?’

At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me

for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out;

so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me.  

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven,

for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

Daniel 4:34-37

Our God is Lord Of All The Earth always… even when it may not look like it to our human eyes. It may appear at times that the world is winning. It may appear that evil rules the day. The kings of the earth may laugh at the Word of God. They might scoff at those who trust in Him. they might try to kill and destroy all that represents His name. They may actually believe He is a myth, a lie, a fable, or just a little god like all the other gods. They may think He is dead, asleep, or just simply doesn’t care anymore… but our God says

“But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,

And they do not understand His purpose;

Micah 4:12

Proven Path Ministries

Marriage A Joke

 

Feel free to ignore the thirty second ad and then fast forward to the 3min 30 second point of the video.

 

The enemy of our God has made marriage a joke. He has made it a punchline. It began in the sitcoms and stand-up comedy routines. We laughed it right into our homes, minds, and hearts.

The enemy of our God made marriage a joke and then he enticed the world to make divorce easy and acceptable.

America bought it… and the church accepted it.

Now those who don’t want lumped in with the divorce for “incompatibility” or “inconvenience” or “I’m just not in love with them anymore” suffer shame, abuse, and condemnation to hold together a dangerous life-threatening marriage or suffer these because they finally did choose divorce.

And all those who bought the lie, that divorce was a quick, easy, harmless solution to a rough patch in life have now given the enemy his perfect tool to justify in the minds and to entice the world to believe another lie. The lie that there is nothing wrong with homosexual relationships.

America has bought it… and the “church” is accepting it.

The enemy of our God now uses the divorce rate of one-man-one-woman marriage to condone and promote homosexual relationships.

From lie to lie… the enemy of God has taken his time, spun his web, laid down his crumbs, and those who walk not by faith have followed their flesh and fell right into the miry clay pit of death.

To condone and accept homosexual marriage is to condone and accept a person’s eternal condemnation. Christ did not come to this earth and die for the sins of the world to send people to hell… He came to offer them truth and life. He did not condemn the sinner, but He did not walk away and tell them that it was okay either.

He spoke truth… then they had to chose to accept it or ignore it. He remained kind. He maintained compassion. He still offered salvation but He did not bow down to the lie. He willingly suffered the shame of the cross, the cursings of the masses, the plottings of society’s powerful, the betrayal of friends in order to stand on truth and not be moved or swayed… no matter the cost. Our eternal souls were worth it to Him.

Marriage belongs to God.

He created it.

Not the state. Not the federal government.

It was not until the last century that the state got involved in any marriage. Their was no state tax to pay, no legal paper to sign and put on file at the courthouse, no blood test required. It was two people going before God and standing publicly before the witness of their families, that they would become one flesh… until death did them part.

No law had to be passed to make it binding.

God put it together and no man or court could separate it. Personally I think the church needs to separate and return to the covenant. The states and federal government might put together whatever unions their sad little laws can concoct but those who carry the name of Christ need to remember their union is one created by God, not man, it is one man and one woman for one life, it is a covenant not a contract.

Divorce was acceptable in the Old Testament because of the hardness of our hearts. There was no indwelling of the Holy Spirit… there was only the looking forward to the cross. Divorce was allowed as a picture to illustrate God’s divorce from Israel when the hardness of their heart led them to be unfaithful, uncommitted, unloving, and adulterous to their God.

When you look at the saints of God, how many of those recorded in Scripture were divorced? There was only one estranged marriage and that was Hosea… and God had Hosea return to his unfaithful wife and draw her back into faithfulness with his forgiveness toward her, his grace for her, with his unconditional love for her.

Just as God will do with His Israel.

If you carry the name of Christ, you fully possess Him and the power of God dwells within you and your heart is no longer hard… if you indeed belong to Him. You have the power to love, the strength to forgive, the faith to trust, the wisdom to be sure of a commitment before a covenant is formed… counting the cost before you say “I do” and continuing to count that cost as you live out your covenant in faith.

Yet fully desiring to say “I do” because in the bonds of marriage the image of Christ can be clearly displayed to a dying world.
Church… those who carry the name of Christ… you paint a picture with your life. You lead with your life… where are you leading those who watch you?

Do you claim to be a Christian yet have sex outside of the bonds of marriage? Where are you leading that one you are choosing to have sex with? Can you really claim to love them… can you really claim to love God… while grabbing hold of a hand and dancing them straight towards the pit of eternal death for an orgasm?

Especially if that one you are with claims not to be a Christian… is this how you think you can actually lead them to Christ and life… when you are the one who is supposed to know that sin leads to death… and only death?

Come on people, its quite simple.

Either God’s Word is God’s Word or it is not… if you believe Him then obey Him. Your eternity depends on it and the eternity of all those watching you.

 

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Facebook Party :-)

 

A couple of months ago Eternal Encouragement had a “Facebook Party”. In case you don’t know what a “Facebook Party” is (cause I shore didn’t), it is pretty much an open forum with Eternal Encouragements founder and editor.

Spend this Mother’s Day with your family and then Monday, May 14th between 3pm and 5pm click on over to Eternal Encouragements Facebook page and join in on the party.

I can guarantee that you will receive encouragement. It will be a time of enlightenment and fellowship with other like-minded mom’s that are trying to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Click on over!

Trust me, it will be well worth the time and a perfect way to end your Monday  🙂

 

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries

What Will Be Your Story

 

A good name is better than a good ointment,

and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.

Ecclesiastes 7:1

 

I read this today… this morning in my “quiet time”… and as I read, the power of this verse hit me in a special way.

As I was walking through Hobby Lobby this past weekend I saw a wall art sign that said “Every child is a story yet to be told”. I loved this quote, so I purchased the wall-art and placed it on the children’s information desk wall so that everyone who walked in would see it… and think about it.

I was raised fully aware that I was only as good as my name. My name was my word. My name carried with it my character… whether I liked it or not. I grew up proud to say that I was a Halbrooks, because my father’s name was good. It still is good. I also had a desire to keep that name good. I always knew and carried the weight of the times that I failed to do so… even when I didn’t realize that it mattered.

I have learned in life that there is no drug, no pill, no drink, no pleasure that can take away the pain or shame of a ruined or tarnished name. I truly believe, that deep down that could be the root cause of a lot of addictions and depressions… a ruined name. A name that when uttered by the givers of that name, brings disappointment to them. There are people in this world that when you hear their name you can think of nothing good… and there is no ointment to change that fact.

When that child who carried that name was born, their parents most likely named them with hope that they would be good-hearted, loving, kind individuals. They planned on them growing up, possibly had dreams for this bundle of joy in their arms to change the world one day. I can’t imagine any parent holding their child and looking in their innocent face and dreaming that they would become a meth addict, a rapist, a murderer, a drug dealer, an embezzler, a child sex trafficker, or a man that would have over 11 million people killed just because he could.

As the Children’s Ministry Director at our church I have the joy of being a part of a lot of bundles of joy. I no longer have just my own girls, but I have fifty other stories that I am now privileged to be a part of.

We celebrate the birth of these babies. Then every year after that we celebrate the day of that birth… yet God tells us that the day of our death is the greatest.

Here’s the thing I see…

The day of our death is the tell-tale. The story ends. The day of our birth is a story yet to be told. We are given a name. That name may come with bad connotations already attached to it because of our parents… or that name may come with high standards also because of our parents.

As we carry that name given at our birth, we carry all the things that come with it.

But here’s the offer that God gives us.

Death.

Death to this name that is given at our birth and an offer to carry His name in this new life in Him. Then when we leave this world we get a new name that is given by our Heavenly Father.

Maybe you have tarnished a name that was good when you got it or maybe you have lived under the condemnation of a name that was already tarnished. There is only One who can fix it. He offers His name in exchange for yours.

He wants to add you to His story.

And by adding you to His story, He changes your story. When He changes your story then you can end well. No matter how your story began, no matter how many twists and turns and chapters have been written, no matter how many horrors are recorded in your book… His book will pull it all together in the end. The day of your death will be better than the day of your birth and when the last chapter of your story is read and the book is closed… those left to read it will only be able to say “wow… what a story.”

Children's Ministry, Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

A 10 Yr Old’s Interpretation of the Hunger Games

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My ten year old had asked if she could read the Hunger Games. I mulled this over in my head a good bit and perked my ears up to hear what was being said about the book. After a little info investigation I decided to read the book myself and decide if it was something we could say “yes” to in her too quickly approaching pre- teenage life.

We have to say “no” to so many things in today’s culture.  I am always looking for something that we can say “yes” to, something that will teach our girls how to discern between what is allowed and what is beneficial and also how to take what is deemed “secular” and discover how all things can be and should be interpreted in the light of Scripture.

After reading the Hunger Games myself, we let Shelby read the book.

Then she received her book assignment…

We asked her to read Matthew 5-8 and compare and contrast the attitudes and mindset of those from each district that competed in the Hunger Games with the attitude and mindset that Christ teaches us to have and she needed to choose which character, if any, most represented the image of Christ.

I thought I would share her 10 year old insight into the characters of the Hunger Games as she looked at them through the lens of the Word of God…

 

Peeta- I find that Peeta is a character by God. For it seemed as if he was actually trying to live as Jesus had commanded, trying to live as I have been taught my whole life. Here is one of the verses that reminded me of Peeta. {If your right eye makes you stumble tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to loose one of the parts of the body, than for you whole body to go into hell.} (pg 1567)

 

Katniss- At the beginning of the book when I thought of Katniss I thought of the girl who was trying to keep her family alive. At the start of the games I thought of the girl who only thought about surviving. In chapter 18 when Rue dies until the end of the book I started to think of the girl who was no longer selfish of her own life, but of Peeta’s. She risked her life to save Peeta’s. All in all this is always how I thought of Katniss. {Do not worry then, saying, what will we eat? or what will we drink? or what will we wear for clothing?} (pg 1569) 

 

Gale- Gale was the kinda guy who loved his friends and would do anything for them and hated his enemies to the core. I remember in the very beginning of the book he and Katniss were a team. They split profits evenly so they could feed their families. Gale would be a great man of God… from what I heard (well read anyway) all he needed to do was this. {But I say to you, LOVE your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.} (pg 1567)

 

Rue- When I think of Rue I think of her and Peeta’s ways in God, how they are so similar. How Rue showed Katniss the trackerjacker nest in the tree, and how Peeta saved Katniss by fighting off Cato. Rue was the background type. While she was in the games Katniss never knew she was there until she looked right at her in the tree. This is what I thought Rue was like/lived by. {Do not judge so that you will be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.} (pg 1569)

 

Prim- I found Prim like Solomon how he did not worry about his outer appearance but, his inner. Unfortunately I won’t have much to say about Prim for she was not in there long enough to get much info about her but this is what I seemed to find in Prim. {So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day is enough trouble of its own.} (pg 1569)

 

Baker- I find the baker a giver. How he gave Katniss the girl trying to KILL his son cookies, how he promised not to let Prim starve. These are some things I feel the baker would NEVER do. {Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will give him a snake, will he?} (pg 1570)

 

Cato- When I heard about Cato, I thought of a mean green killing machine. All he thought about was killing and winning. I thought Cato was Satan in a book, Cato it seemed as if he was overcome with domestic violence. Cato lived the games the opposite of this verse… every one killed but he wanted to kill, not everyone WANTED to kill… now here is the verse. {You have heard that the ancients were told, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.} (pg 1566)

 

Thresh- Thresh and Gale both loved their neighbor and hated his enemies, but Thresh’s reasons were a little different. He loved Rue because she was from his district. The only reason he let Katniss live was because she tried to save Rue. Otherwise I find him just like Cato. So here is a verse for Thresh and how he seemed to live. {You have heard that it was said, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.} (pg 1567 )

 

Haymitch- Haymitch broke one of the rules of God. Even though this rule was not in the Sermon on the Mount, I thought I should tell it to you. Let me tell you about Haymitch first. 1. He was crazy (except when he was sober) he was okay then. Well, I will go ahead and give you the verse. It is in Ephesians 5:18. {And do not get drunk on wine, (which Haymithch did alot) for that is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit.}

 

Effie- I found Effie charming and nice, but she was ungrateful. She was griping about drawing for district 12, SHE SHOULD BE HAPPY SHE IS NOT IN THAT DRAWING!!!! You see what I mean. I think this is how she thought of herself. {You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.}

~ Shelby Vaughn

 

Why yes, I am a proud Momma 🙂

Proven Path Ministries

Will You Stand

 

And to man He said, “Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23)

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding , resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:1-3)

Have you soaked those verses in?

If not, go back and read them again.

Now here’s the big question… do you believe what you just read? Do you really believe the Word of God? If you do… if you really believe, then let me ask you… how on earth can our children really receive a “quality education” apart from the Word of God?

Exactly how is the public school system going to raise up young men and women with the wisdom and knowledge and understanding to be upstanding citizens, dedicated spouse and parents, loyal employees, future leaders of our nation apart from the Word of God… while actually teaching them lies that contradict the Word of God.

Could it possibly be that the course of our nation is what is is because man has fogotten that God alone is the source of true knowledge and wisdom… not a professor at Harvard or Yale or a football coach at Alabama?

We homeschool our children. We have for the past few years… but I have nieces and nephews and my precious students at public school… so I hear what’s going on. What disturbs me most now is this new testing… our children in public school no longer are taught… they are trained to pass a test. The focus of their education is not to teach them, but to get them to answer the government’s tests correctly so that the school will get money as a reward and if the school doesn’t pass the test it is punished with a lack of government funds.

I might be a little naive… but this just sounds down-right-out wrong to me. And what I don’t understand is where is the voice of the christian teachers in this nation? Where is the voice of the christian parents in this country?

Are you speaking up?

There comes a point and time when the rubber meets the road and you have to decide if you really believe God and His Word and trust Him to provide for you and supply all your needs as He said He would or if you are going to choose to trust man’s promises.

Are you willing to say, we will sacrifice for the sake of Truth? Are you a parent that is willing to change your lifestyle in order to pull your child out this viper pit? Are you willing to be a parent that bombards the school system with letters in love and parental authority demanding that they teach your children Truth? Have you forgotten that it is your tax dollars that pay fort that school?

How about flooding the congressman and representatives and president with letters and calls and emails demanding some answers… guess what… they work FOR YOU… you DO NOT work for them. Exactly when did we let the roles get reversed?

Are you a parent or a teacher that is willing to take a risk in order to call a lie a lie?

This nations workers protest for a lack of pay and compensation all the time… why not protest for a lack of Truth? We are supposed to be teaching Truth… yet the text books are filled with lies… either we believe it is a lie and cast it down or we believe God’s Word is merely a myth and not worth the Holy Spirit filled pen that first scribed it.

My children get a spanking for speaking lies to us. They receive this discipline for lying and for outright defiance… I am supposed to send them to school and tell them that is okay for the teacher to lie to them as they spill forth the decay of evolutionary theory and yet teach it as a fact, as they try to convince my child that wisdom and knowledge can be acquired apart from the fear of the Lord and apart from the love of Christ…

Will the true church please stand up?

Go back and read again the Scipture verses at the beginning of this post. Let them resonate within you. I also don’t think it needs to be missed that the church that is specifically mentioned in Colossians 2:1-3 is Laodicea.

Let us go and read what we know about these people in the church of Laodicea.

 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

   The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

   ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

 Revelation 3:14-22

 

All this sounds quite familiar doesn’t it? It doesn’t take much effort to get a picture of what life (or lack of life) was like in Laodicea. I believe we are here. Our nation is here. This letter to the church of Laodicea could easily be addressed “To the angel of the church in the United States of America write:”

As you read this are you pricked?

Is your heart stirred?

Is your spirit moved?

Do you wonder if there is something you can do, some way you can take a stand for Truth in Truth in love?

We must take a stand in the Spirit not in our flesh. We can’t yell out our demands in a red-faced flesh filled angry voice… we must choose to do what is right in a spirit of humility and gentleness, because that’s the way our Jesus did it. He is our example.

There are opportunities out there to take a stand…when opportunity knocks at your door will you say, Yes, Lord… Here I am send me…?