Do not be conformed to the world

“We too must be like all the nations, with a king to rule us, lead us in warfare, and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:20)

God elected Israel to be a special family in the world.  The Israelites themselves were uncomfortable with this self-image.  They yearned to be like other nations.  Being set apart appears at times a burden too heavy to bear.   The early Roman Christians had the same image problem.  St. Paul writes to them, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)  This advice seems to suggest that without the transformation of the mind, it will be near impossible not to conform to this world and its ideas.   The lure and magnetism of the world could be formidable at times.  St. Peter writes, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.” (1 Peter 1: 14).  Before they became Christians, their passions were unrestrained like those of their neighbors.  Everybody was living in ignorance.  With Baptism, the light of Christ dispelled this ignorance in their minds and hearts.

The word of God is the sword of the spirit that transforms the mind and liberates it from its former ignorance.  As we feed on the word always and everywhere, we are being transformed gradually into the image of Christ until we possess the mind of Christ in everything.  Correct thought is the key to correct action.  The Israelites wanted to have a king and be like other nations because they believed that the absence of a king was the reason their enemies prevailed over them in warfare.  If only they had a king to lead them in warfare and fight their battles, all will be well.  We know that this is not so.  The only king that fulfilled this wish was David because he was a man after God’s own heart.  Other Israelite kings led them into bankruptcy, defeats and exiles.

Only a mind transformed by the word of God will have the wisdom and courage to resist being conformed to this world and its values.

Why this defeat?

“Why has the Lord permitted us to be defeated today by the Philistines?”  (I Samuel 4:3)

The leaders of Israel asked themselves the above searching question after they suffered a crushing defeat in the hands of the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4: 1-11.   Four thousand people were killed after a single fierce military campaign.  They asked the right question but did not get the correct answer before they rushed into action.  This time, the defeat became a total disaster.  Thirty thousand perished in the ensuing battle. 

Life is full of surprises.  There are unexpected delays, disappointments and obstacles.  Like the Israelites in 1 Samuel 4: 1-11, we find ourselves asking “Why has the Lord permitted this to happen?”  Correct thought is the key to correct action.  If we receive correct answer to the question of WHY and act on it, all will be well. 

“Why do you hide your face, forgetting our woe and our oppression?”  (Psalm 44: 24) 

The God of Israel does not slumber nor does He forget. Even if it is possible for a mother to forget her new born helpless child, it is impossible for God to forget His own.  “I will never fail you; I will never forsake you.”  (Hebrews 13:5)

“Fear is useless; what is needed is trust.”  (Luke 8:50, Mark 5:36)  To be happy with Jesus, all that we need is to trust and obey.

Write the vision down

“2Then the LORD answered me and said:

Write down the vision;^*

Make it plain upon tablets,

so that the one who reads it may run.

3For the vision is a witness for the appointed time,

a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.

If it delays, wait for it,

it will surely come, it will not be late.”  (Habakkuk 2: 2-3)

 With God, faith and work, inspiration and power, prophecy and fulfillment are two sides of the same coin.  When God gives you a vision, write it down.  When it is fulfilled, read the vision again and your faith in God will receive a big boost. 

My help comes from the Lord

1 I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From whence shall come my help? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; or your guardian to sleep. 4 Behold, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps. 5 The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. 6 By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will guard you from all evil; he will guard your soul. 8 The LORD will guard your coming and going both now and forever." (Psalm 121)

The whole of Psalm 121 is included in the PL scripture because of the heavy promises of help and protection.  15 years after the compilation of the PL scriptures, my help and my protection everyday comes from God.

No fear, no worry, no doubt

"Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

Many PL scriptures deal with the theme of no fear, no worry, no doubt.  Today, the Holy Spirit is telling me through the above scripture not to fear, worry or have any doubt that God is with me and for me.  In order to make this rhema work for me, I must not only hear and understand it but must act on it.  Faith without works is dead.  Inspiration without power is useless.  But God does not just offer faith or inspiration and leave the rest to us.  He gives both the will and the power to act.  I have the word implies that I have also the power to act on the word. 

Lord Jesus, I prayed for inspiration and power earlier this morning.  You answer me now through Isaiah 41: 10.  I believe that in giving me this word, you also give me the power to live this word today.  I am beginning to learn that I must act on your word to bring it alive.  Please help me to know how to act on this word today.  I now see that I should apply this word to the 7-War Zones, viz:

Health, family, money, job, tools, food and future.  Ok, I am getting the idea.  When negative thoughts on health, family, money, job, tools, food and future bombard me, I push back with your word of power to me:  "Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)  Lord, is this all that I should do?  What if I forget this sword of the spirit at the moment of attack?  Would you remind me?  I pray now in your name that you remind me.  I want to learn this important lesson.   You suggest that I memorize it?  Ok.  I will write it out on a piece of paper and put in my pocket.  Thank you Jesus.

Now is a very acceptable time

"For he says: “In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

This scripture is repeated several times during the Lenten Season.  It meant one thing to me.  There is an acceptable time for favors.  There may also be an unacceptable time for favors.  In the world, time is measured in Chronos, a succession of seconds, minutes, hours, weeks and years.  But in the Kingdom, time is measure in Kairos, that is, the fullness of time or the appointed time by God for a special event or favor. In the light of this, it is my experience that I receive the most spiritual favors during the Lenten Season.  I was healed of smoking addiction during Lent.  I took up a number of sound spiritual practices which I have continued now for over 15 years. 

Lent is always an acceptable to come to God for favors through prayers, fasting and good works.

Obedience of faith

“Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6) NIV

How do we live this truth?  If I assent to the truth that God goes with me and will not leave nor forsake me, then I can act strong and courageous.  Then I will refuse to be afraid of anybody or any circumstance.   Living faith shows itself through action.  Isaiah teaches that faith that is firm is also patient. (Isaiah 28:16)  Jean Pierre de Caussade writing in ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE writes:  “If our faith is strong we shall be confident that we lack nothing..”  He asserts the truth of Psalm 23:1 and Hebrews 13:5-6.

Obedience of faith means obeying and acting because we believe.  I am strong and courageous because I believe that God is with me and will not leave nor forsake me.

Wait

“While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father^* about which you have heard me speak; “for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.”  (Acts 1: 4 – 5)

The word “Wait” has become a key word in the Enterprise vocabulary.  At the onset of the Enterprise, I prayed that every day I may grow in patience.  It took some time to understand that waiting, patience, endurance, perseverance are synonymous.  Then one day, I heard the word which came as an answer to a blunt question to the Father.  To the question, “how long must I endure the present impasse?”  I heard one word in my spirit:  “Wait!”  The experience of this elocution was similar to the time when I heard the unforgettable words, “The only thing you need is the Holy Spirit.” 

I knew that the “Wait!” was an answer, a command and a rhema because later that day, I read this scripture:

"Why are you downcast, my soul; why do you groan within me? Wait for God, for I shall again praise him, my savior and my God" (Psalm 42: 6)

The object of the Wait in Acts 1: 4-5 is the Holy Spirit.  What is the object of the Wait in Psalm 42:6?

The Reason for the Enterprise

"The LORD said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.  I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you. Abram went as the LORD directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran." (Genesis 12: 1-4)

This scripture sits on top of the Enterprise movement.  It is the reason for the journey.  Once it was heard, understood and believed, it became the launching engine and pad for the Enterprise.  The scripture has been revisited again and again at critical juncture in the Enterprise to draw inspiration and purpose and to keep the movement on purpose and strategy. 

The Enterprise is a journey of faith.  It had a clear beginning but its end is tightly shrouded in mystery.  I walk by faith and not by sight.

"So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5: 38-39)

Your Good Shepherd

"I will lead them out from among the peoples and gather them from the lands; I will bring them back to their own country and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and every inhabited place in the land. In good pastures I will pasture them; on the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down on good grazing ground; in rich pastures they will be pastured on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest—oracle of the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 34: 13 - 15)

As I reflect on the reason for including the above scripture as one of the PL scriptures, I recall Psalm 23:

"The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. II 5 You set a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless days." (Psalm 23)

In both Ezekiel and Psalm 23, we see the strong role of the Shepherd.  Who is the Shepherd if not our Lord Jesus Christ?  He gathers His sheep; He heals them; He feeds them; He leads them to the place of rest.   Do you believe that Jesus Christ is your Good Shepherd?  Then rejoice in the certain knowledge that everything  promised in Ezekiel 34: 13 – 15 and Psalm 23 is yours.

The Family of God

"I will lead them out from among the peoples and gather them from the lands; I will bring them back to their own country and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and every inhabited place in the land. In good pastures I will pasture them; on the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down on good grazing ground; in rich pastures they will be pastured on the mountains of Israel." (Ezekiel 34: 13-14)

To whom does this lofty prophecy refer to?  To Israel or the new Israel?  Blessed John Paul II referring to the People of Israel applies Romans 11: 29 to them:

"In respect to the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but in respect to election, they are beloved because of the patriarchs.  For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11: 28 - 29)

The family of God will be one when the old and new Israel unites through the power of God.  But even then, this prophecy waits for its fulfillment in the Second Coming of Christ.

The Good Shepherd and The Lost Sheep

"I will lead them out from among the peoples and gather them from the lands; I will bring them back to their own country and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and every inhabited place in the land. In good pastures I will pasture them; on the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down on good grazing ground; in rich pastures they will be pastured on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest—oracle of the Lord GOD. The lost I will search out, the strays I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, and the sick I will heal; but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them in judgment" (Ezekiel 34: 13-16).

In the parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus tells of how the Shepherd left 99 sheep and went in search of the Lost One.    I believe that Ezekiel 34: 13 – 16 extends this teaching.  Although the sheep was lost on account of its foolishness, the Good Shepherd spared nothing to find it and bring it back safely to the fold.  The Good Shepherd treats the Lost Sheep as the Father of the Prodigal Son treats his lost son.  God is deeply concerned with the lost and His deepest desire is the salvation of all.  O that we may have such sensitivity to the lost sheep.

Your Prayer

"I will lead them out from among the peoples and gather them from the lands; I will bring them back to their own country and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and every inhabited place in the land. In good pastures I will pasture them; on the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down on good grazing ground; in rich pastures they will be pastured on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest—oracle of the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 34: 13 - 15)

As I reflect on the reason for including the above scripture as one of the PL scriptures, I recall Psalm 23:

"The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. II 5 You set a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless days." (Psalm 23)

In both Ezekiel and Psalm 23, we see the strong role of the Shepherd.  Who is the Shepherd if not our Lord Jesus Christ?  He gathers His sheep; He heals them; He feeds them; He leads them to the place of rest.   Do you believe that Jesus Christ is your Good Shepherd?  Then rejoice in the certain knowledge that everything  promised in Ezekiel 34: 13 – 15 and Psalm 23 is yours.

The Reason for the Journey

"The LORD said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.  I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you. Abram went as the LORD directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran." (Genesis 12: 1-4)

This scripture sits on top of the Enterprise movement.  It is the reason for the journey.  Once it was heard, understood and believed, it became the launching engine and pad for the Enterprise.  The scripture has been revisited again and again at critical juncture in the Enterprise to draw inspiration and purpose and to keep the movement on purpose and strategy. 

The Enterprise is a journey of faith.  It had a clear beginning but its end is tightly shrouded in mystery.  I walk by faith and not by sight.

"So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5: 38-39)

Saul failed to keep the time

"He waited seven days, until the appointed time Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come, and the army deserted Saul. He then said, “Bring me the burnt offering and communion offerings!” Then he sacrificed the burnt offering. King Saul Reproved. As he finished sacrificing the burnt offering, there came Samuel! So Saul went out toward him in order to greet him. Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul explained: “When I saw that the army was deserting me and you did not come on the appointed day, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, I said to myself, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet sought the LORD’s blessing.’ So I thought I should sacrifice the burnt offering.” Samuel replied to Saul: “You have acted foolishly! Had you kept the command the LORD your God gave you, the LORD would now establish your kingship in Israel forever; but now your kingship shall not endure. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart* to appoint as ruler over his people because you did not observe what the LORD commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13: 8-14)

The title of this Blog, SAUL FAILED TO KEEP THE TIME appears ironic.  If you read 1 Samuel 13: 8 – 14, you would conclude that it was Samuel who failed to keep the time.  Samuel and Saul were operating in two different time frames.  Saul was looking at time as Chronos while Samuel was looking at time as Kairos.  Chronos time measures time in seconds, hours, days, years.  Kairos time is the time of grace, the fullness of time, the appointed time.  In a similar situation as Saul, David waited until word came (2 Samuel 15: 28)

A Message of Reconciliation

" And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5: 18 - 20).

This is a PL scripture that reminds me of the great work God did in me by reconciling me to Himself when I was lost.  Now that I have been reconciled to God, I have a mission to lead other people to experience the same joy of reconciliation with the Father of mercies and God of all consolations.

If the Enterprise is of human origin

“So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5: 38-39)

I heard of the above scripture for the first time in 9603.  I had gone to see SJPS to ask for his advice about the idea of the Enterprise.  He quoted the above scripture but misquoted the chapter and verse.  It took me a considerable time to discover the chapter and verse.  I was struck immediately by the truth of the scripture that it was never off my mind.  As I think of it, it gave me peace.  The Enterprise was not a matter of life and death struggle.  If God is with me in the project, it is accomplished.  If not, it will collapse.  If I live, I live; if I perish, I perish.  Now I celebrated the 15^th anniversary of the Enterprise on 1110.  What is my conclusion?  Surely this endeavor, this activity is not of human origin.  So?  No fear; No worry; No doubt.  Amen!

This land now and then

"The LORD appeared to Abram and said: To your descendants I will give this land. So Abram built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him" (Genesis 12: 7)

The land of Canaan promised to Abraham by God is a type and shadow of heaven.  Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is among you.”  It means that for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Kingdom of God is something that is already here and now.  For the Kingdom of God means the complete reign of God in a person.  When this dominion takes place in a soul, the person experiences the gifts of the Holy Spirit of which the chief is peace or shalom.  The fullness of the Kingdom of God is something that is there and then. The Kingdom of God will come in the end when the elect will enjoy the eschatological Banquet of the Lamb.  “Blessed are those who are invited in the wedding of the Lamb.” 

A good and specious land

"Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them up from that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Hivites and the Jebusites." (Exodus 3: 8)

Exodus 3:8 is one of my PL scriptures.  Why?  The Enterprise is a type and shadow of the Exodus.  God saw my plight and came and rescued me from the power of the enemy.  The name of Jesus is Yeshua, which means Savior.  The name says what it is and it does what it says.  God’s plan for my life is an excellent plan (Jeremiah 29:11).  Not only did God rescue me from the enemy, but He leads me into a land that is good and spacious, flowing with milk and honey.  This land that is good and specious, flowing with milk and honey is the image of Heaven, our permanent residence.  Here on earth, the Promised Land is also the country of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites.  All these nationalities are types and shadows of people opposed to the kingdom of God.

Dwelling in tents

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God." (Hebrews 11: 8 - 10)

Why is this scripture one of the PL scriptures?  I was attracted by the fact that Abraham showed the obedience of faith when he left his native land for a foreign country not knowing what to expect.  The Enterprise is a journey of faith.  It is a journey where I pray every day that the joys and sorrows, the delays and disappointments will make for the growth of faith, patience, wisdom, humility, courage, peace and contentment.