Graves' This and That

"Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being" is a phrase from King David's penitent prayer in Psalm 51.  Truth is a large umbrella which includes numerous synonyms: honesty, integrity, verity, and veracity which are but a few.  I also sense that lying, dishonesty, deceit, betrayal, pretense are some antonyms for truth.  My authentic identity must be who I am in Christ.  In Christ, my inward and my outward self must be in alignment with who Christ says I am.  If there is deceit or any character flaw/sin which steers me from the Truth of what God says about me, then I must allow the Holy Spirit to discipline and teach me.  I must agree with God that any behavior which causes me to sin is against Him and against the truth in my inward being. I cannot afford to be nonchalent about my sin because the CROSS is the price Christ endured for my sin.  Any sin which we choose to practice numerous times in a "go to" situation becomes a stronghold for the e...

All of us have a default mechanism when we are fearful.  I see in Genesis, that Abraham's "go to" response was lying and deceit in instances with two rulers: Pharoah and Abimeleck.  Fear is so unruly for it gathers other negative fruit with it: unhealthy anger, stress, insecurity, blame, shame, doubt, dismay, discouragement, hopelessness, and the list continues.   Like Abraham, in the past, I defaulted to unhealthy anger which kept me focused on the problem rather than encouraging me toward proactivity.  Ephesians 6: 16 has become my new default:  "In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one."   What a PROMISE!  I love the "all".  The flaming darts are sometimes of my own work and always helped along with the taunts of the evil one.  Even though at Calvary, his weapons were take from him and he was shamed, I find that if he has a weapon, more than likely, I have...

I cannot even imagine but Scripture says that silver was a very common metal in use by Solomon.  He also had a throne overlaid with gold.  This is way beyond, in fact more like out of the galaxy mentality of where I live.  Solomon uses silver and gold in comparisons in many of his Proverbs.   "The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise." Just reading this pushed me to the Internet to find out about the smelting of silver and gold.  The extreme heat has been used in the smelting of silver and gold since around 6000-3000 BC.  Today, silver is heated to 1,763 degrees F to melt it and gold melts at 1,943 degrees F.  In the smelting process, impurities of dross which is a lighter by-product floats to the top while slag is heavier and sinks to the bottom of the crucible in the process.  Both are impurities and of little if any value.   The heart is tested by the praise that we receive....silv...

I hear that being a first and an only child has some assigned mindsets:  problem solver, get it done, and do it right....just to name a few.  Now that I have gotten older, I know that the real assignment, regardless of age or birth order in the family,  is "WAIT FOR THE LORD"!  The examples of impatience are myriad throughout Scripture and Sarah seems to have been the most far-reaching of models that comes to my mind.   As I enter my War room, I look over my prayer list of names for whom I am interceding and my personal requests, and the old taunt is whispered by the Evil one and even my own impatience, "LORD, I have been praying these____ years!"  Just betcha that was Sarah's mummer after 25 years of waiting for a promised child, and here we are seeing the manifestation of her impatience.  The choice is mine:  Will I honor God and wait upon Him or will I barrel ahead and take care of it...foolish thinking.  I have worsened an item tha...

Joel was a herdsman and a caretaker of fig trees and the Lord chose Joel to speak to His people, Israel.  This is a great reminder that God moves among us pew sitters to raise us up and to speak His truth.  We druther leave the responsibility to the pros on staff because we have a tendency to ignore that we also are on mission.  We are ministers of reconciliation to our traffic pattern about us.  Joel had a word for Israel and it is so apropos for today, "Behold the days are coming," declares the LORD GOD, "when I will send a famine on the land...a famine of hearing the words of the LORD."    With all of our marvelous technology toys, especially our phones, we spend hours talking, writing texts, checking messages, and writing emails.  I wonder what is the percentage of our hearing what has been said or written?  I wonder what is our response to what we read, have said to us, or said to another?  I have left a classroom from full time teachi...

I love the Old Testament because it is full of stories of real and frail humans just like me.  Each year, I choose to read through the Bible, and the same dread slowly comes as I read of King David and then his son, King Solomon.  How grateful I am that God's reputation can handle the likes of us who desire to be Christ followers, yet at times, we fumble, stumble, and maybe limp along. Truly, we are more flawed than we realize!  I grieve as I read of David's frailties, even though a man after God's own heart....disobedience with Bathsheba and his weaknesses in rearing his boys.  I sense that he was able to recoup and finish well, but I also sense he was bruised and bore some scars from the rebellion of his sons and of himself.  I see Solomon,one of his sons, who had the heart of obedience and desired to follow the LORD, at least in the beginning of his reign.  As the narrative moves along, he has disobeyed the LORD in regard to pagan wives who helped to s...

In Scripture, strongholds can be a safe place if Jesus has provided it as a refuge.  However, I also know that a stronghold can denote that secret place in the mind and heart that  has thick walls to isolate, a door of bronze to keep intruders out, and bars of iron to protect it.  What is it that is enclosed within which causes one to isolate, post a keep out sign, and protect?   We are encouraged to look inward to check our integrity.  What about our mindset of assumptions?  Our presumptions?  Our mullings?  Our opinions?  Our reasonings?  Our analyzings?  Our guesses?  Are they raised up against the TRUTH of what God has said?  Do we act upon them?  Are we willing to frisk them for TRUTH?  Are we willing to take preemptive strikes on them before they come tumbling out of the mouth or become actions?  As I look inward, I am appalled at how skewed my thoughts can be.  They sound so savvy, so...

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is Isaiah 36.  Judah is under attack and is surrounded by Sennacherib, king of Assyria's troops.  He sends a high officer of his army to speak to the leaders of Jerusalem.  His question, "On what do you rest this trust of yours?"  Judah has rebelled against Assyria and refused to pay what she owed to Assyria as a vassal country. Assyria has already come against the fortified cities of Judah and has overtaken them.  The high officer, Rabshakeh, begins to taunt and pour out lies on the feeble leaders of Jerusalem.  When hearing the news from his leaders, King Hezekiah is terrified and goes to the "house of the LORD". He wisely sends his wise representatives to Isaiah for a word from the LORD.  Isaiah assures the representatives that the LORD has said that he will put a spirit in the king and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land.  Of course the Rabshakeh returns for an answer with the same taunts....

That phrase, I, I am He is a strong reminder of the I AM in Genesis and all the I AM in the gospel of John.  In context, Isaiah is reminding Israel that the LORD GOD is their only Savior.  They, like us, have trusted their idols: their finances, their government, their abilities, their intelligence, personalities, position, and their power for deliverance and security.  God speaks and states very flatly, "Your have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities."  Isaiah is that voice crying out to the nation there is no savior but God.  There is no new word for us, we have no savior but the Lord Jesus.   LORD GOD speaks explicitly, "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."  (Isaiah 43:25)  In the dark ages, I well remember the ink pen and the small container of liquid that could be used to blot out a written mistake.  Of course, you always smelled like Clor...

Forever?  Endlessly, at all times, and eternity are synonyms for the word.  In our world where everything is subject to the law of entropy...the grass withering and the flower fading. (Isaiah 40:8) I am enamored with the Truth that God's word will stand endlessly, at all times, and eternity. The word is not subject to the law of entropy.  It does not waver as the winds of trend and culture blow and even push against it.  It firmly stands.  The psalmist reminds us the the LORD will honor His name and His Word.  He speaks of the word being forever settled in the Heavens  That is security!   As the winds of doubt, dismay, and discouragement come against me, I can set my feet and my mind, and speak the Truth which encourages and strengthens.  Just know, it is NOT a one time process because satan  addresses me with his taunts, "Has God said?"  I must raise that banner over and over again...God's Word stands!   Be encouraged...

In Isaiah 30, Isaiah is pleading with Israel to not run to Egypt for her protection and security with the onslaught of her enemies.  How like us, always running here and there wanting a place to hide, running here and there to a person for protection, and running here and there hoping to find something that will give security.  At times, we are even willing to settle for compromise with the Truth of God's Word which will not bring security or protection. Tragically, we flaunt the Truth of God's Word and add presumption with the excuse that there is grace.   The 15th-16th verses: LORD God the Holy One of Israel speaks, "In returning (withdrawal) and rest you shall be saved; in quietness (undisturbed) and in trust (confidence) shall be your strength (valor, bravery, might)"  TAKE NOTE THE NEXT PHRASE: "But you were unwilling, and you said, 'No! We will flee upon horses; there you shall flee away, and 'We will ride upon swift steeds'; therefore your pu...

Fear is one of my greatest enemies.  I have had ongoing warfare with that mindset/fraility/stronghold/sin.  I have enjoyed great freedom from fear, yet it continues to be a battling process. Isaiah  was being fearful in chapter 8 because of God's judgment that was coming upon Judah.  God spoke to Isaiah, and Isaiah included this phrase, with His strong hand upon me and warned me not to walk like the people of Judah who were walking in deception to what they saw and heard.  I love God's rhema (God's word for a specific situation) to Isaiah, "But the LORD of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy.  Let Him be your fear, and let him be your dread."  (Isaiah 8:13)  This was my much-needed rhema for today from the LORD.  There are some pressing mountains, to which I have already spoken, even with my mustard seed faith, and I am grateful for that encouraging word as I had specifically asked the LORD to speak.  Praise You, LORD, and I choose t...

My experience with prayer has confirmed the thought that has hung around in my head:  Prayer is Warfare.  I have also noted that as part of the armor of the soldier, prayer is included as a weapon.  Ephesians 6:18 prompts me to pray all the time in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication.  No walls, no do not enter, and no do not trespass signs to block or to deter my entrance into HIS presence to stand in the gap for my families, friends, and nations.  It was said of the tribe of Issachar that they understood the time in which they were living and knew what Israel ought to do, I Chronicles 12:32. We are living in perilous times, and as Christ followers, it is time to hit our knees!  We cannot continue to be apathetic, disengaged, and weary.  Hopefully, we are understanding that the culture, our government, our economy, and our nation can not provide the security, peace, or provision that are afforded us in Christ Jesus.   Make up your ...

I am thoroughly convinced that Psalm 107:16 "For He shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron" could be referencing our strongholds of opinions, analyzings, thoughts, rationales, taunts we have received as truth, embedded fears that we have constructed deep walls around, mindsets of failure...endless lists.  We are admonished to destroy arguments and EVERY lofty opinion raised up against the TRUTH of God and we are to take the lies captive to obey Christ. (2 Cor. 10:4-5)  A friend gave the picture of gathering up the garbage/lies and setting THEM at the curb for the garbage man to pick up.  Occasionally, I will go out to the curb and go through that trash and retrieve a lie.  As I reclaim that lie, whatever its form, I am learning to choose to replace it with Truth from God's Word., and put it back at the curb for the next trip of the garbage man to retrieve.   Gratefully, I praise God for His power to shatter the door of bronze to the stro...

How I identify and so appreciate the psalmist!  His transparency, his whines, his valid complaints, his doubts, his fears, and most of all, his joys and praises.  Occasionally, I can identify with dear Jeremiah as I wade through some of his heartbreaking cries of gloom and despair.  I delight in the treasures found throughout the Word of God which spur my courage. During the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the Lord instructs Jeremiah to buy a field in his home town, Anathoth.  Amazing, he did not waver at the instruction and he bought the land from his uncle, the owner.  He then is instructed to take the deeds and put them in an earthenware vessel for safekeeping.  More importantly, God gives him the promise: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land."  In prayer, Jeremiah first praises God for His great power and then includes,  the statement, "Nothing is too hard for you."  Jeremiah reports his obedience ...