Graves' This and That

  Because of fear of the Midianites who had robbed the Israelites many times as they threshed their wheat on their threshing floors, Gideon chose to be in hiding and thresh his wheat in the winepress.  Numbers 6:11 King David was told to go to Araunah the Jebusite who owned a threshing floor and "raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor".  2 Samuel 24:24 Later, the threshing floor is called Mount Moriah where King Solomon was instructed to build the house of God. 2 Chronicles 3:1.   In Matthew 3:12, John the Baptist says of Jesus, "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."  The threshing floor was located near the village at a higher place where the winds would be helpful to winnow the wheat or barley grains.  Threshing sledges were tools that had stones or iron fragments fastened to the under side of the sledge. The sl...

As I study the armor of God that He has provided for us as soldiers in warfare from Ephesians 6, I take notice that in order for me to remain strong and experience His strength, I must PUT ON the whole armor of God.  The command is the putting on of the WHOLE armor, not just a part that I may want to put on as if I was choosing a certain dress for the day or an accessory for it.  The command suggests a very intentional action on my part to put on the WHOLE armor.   He is even gracious enough to give us a reason to put on the whole armor...so that we may be able to stand.  We have a marvelous position and inheritance in Christ, and we must be willing to not give ground to the evil one.  We set our feet on that ground, that position provided because we are in relationship with HIM and HIS victory at Calvary and the empty tomb over sin and death.  We are reminded our enemy has an M/O...steal, destroy, and to kill or render ineffectual, inoperative, and ...

Matthew 17:20 always challenges me.  The disciples asked why they could not cast the demon.  Jesus's reply to them, "Because of your little faith.  For truly, I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard see, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there', and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."  I have experienced some mountains in my life.  Some of them, I helped to pile up the rocks, but then some have come because of the evil one's desire to steal, destroy, and to kill. The evil one desires to keep my eyes focused on the size of the mountain and how powerless I am, and of myself, I am! But in HIM..... While reading Isaiah 41:15-16, God's Word by way of Isaiah to Israel, "Behold I make you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hill like chaff; you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and you shall rejoice in ...

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." 2 Cor.9:8 I am finishing up my readings through the Bible and I am in Deuteronomy 31.  Moses is being prepped by God to die and to hand the leadership baton to Joshua.  From Genesis 1 through now, 2015, God has faithfully loved, been fully committed to, and sacrificially given to a people who from His perfect knowledge, from the beginning knew that our hearts would go "whoring" after foreign gods and forsake the covenant He has made with us.  We, who are God's highest creation, would choose to bow our necks, harden our hearts, and put His Word behind our backs.  I find this so difficult to comprehend about us human creatures!  What is even more of a consternation is the perfect love and grace from God in response to our evil foolishness.  Yes, even in grace, He corrects, child-trains, and allows consequences to r...

I am not sure, but I think that one of the evil spirits of the "thief, killer, destroyer" must be anxiety.  Over the decades, I have found that anxiety does not sleep alone...it has many lovers that it gathers around it for reinforcement and ultimate brutal assaults.  Ole spirits of unbelief, doubt, dismay, discouragement, and disappointment work in sync to insure the quality of the spirit life.  Tragically, other spirits rally to give aid to be sure the spirit life is stunted...blame, shame, accusation, condemnation, cynicism, and the ultimate, hopelessness!  I hear the words of dear Apostle Paul, "Oh wretched man that I am!"  Reminder whom Christ has set free is FREE INDEED! A German word for anxiety is strangle/choke.  I confess as Scripture teaches in Matthew 13:18-23 in the parable of the soils, " but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it proves unfruitful" is truth which I have experienced. This week, I had ...

In these days of threats, atrocities, "loose cannon mentalities", and terrors, I wonder if we recognize who our real enemy is.  We may think it is an evil mindset and evil ideology, and it is, yet who is the guiding power of such?  I run to Ephesians 6 and God's reminder to us from Paul, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." These are the empowerings of the evils which are being perpetrated all around us, regardless of where we live.   As Christ followers, we have spiritual weapons, and it is HIGH time that we stop naval gazing and take our stance in prayer.  We do have divine power to pull down strongholds, every mentality that raises itself against the knowledge of God.  Am I willing to bombard the heavens and cry out for mercy and STAND in faith?  This certainly is an evil da...

In reading the Old Testament, I see the admonitions to stand firmly in faith.  Every nation that came into Israel and Judah practiced their religion.  Tragically, Israel and Judah did not stand firmly in faith of God's promises to them.  They chose to blend in with the religious activities which were not of the LORD GOD.   Isaiah was sent by God to King Ahaz who was of the line of David, to remind him to stand firm in faith or he would not stand at all.  Ahaz chose to make alliances with other nations to protect Judah from Syria and Israel.  He would not trust in God's Word  given to him by way of Isaiah.   Whom all and what all have we as Americans and even some of us who claim to be Christ followers put our trust for protection, for needs met, for assurances, or for financial profit and expediency?  The year is 740 BC and the words were spoken by Isaiah, "...If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all."  (Isaiah 7:9 c...