Deep Waters

Send us Fan Mail

So, let’s look at the story before we get into our story:

Luke 15:11-32 - 11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’

20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

Ok so I came up with this title, nope not I, but God gave it as well as all of them to me, shortly after my return from San Diego to visit my sister. And but now I see that in hindsight maybe it was as much about pouring into others from Rev Church and those who attend Elisha Ministries, as it was to visit her. Those links are on my website. 

And I can say this without hurting her feelings but if her and I just hung out and did a bunch of stuff like sight seeing and shopping we would have fun, but without ministering to others together and including God in our every step, it would not be as much fun. We are both hungry for the things of God and throughout the years we have grown closer and closer in the Lord and with each other. I appreciate having her in my life nearly more than anything. Yes God, my wife and kids are so much appreciated. But having someone in your life who doesn’t see you as a weird Christian because you walk around lit up for the things of God is very nice and from the Lord. If we had street names we would call it, “The Torchers.”

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

Ha, so I was working on a message titled, “The Four Enemies Of Peace”, and well I was working on that one because the message previous to it titled, “Baby Shark Dance”, was interrupted by it. Are you lost yet, ha, but so Baby Shark Dance did get posted, and well if all goes well if it just goes, I will have posted, “The Enemies Of Peace” before I post this one which popped into my head as I was once again left alone with my thoughts. And well you know when it rains my cup overflows, I have 400 unfinished messages to prove it. 

Now I don’t imagine that this will take that long to process because the point is fairly simple. And don’t see it as semantically semantical more than it is this, that, and sometimes the other. Let’s D-Com semantical and see what it means:

1.     in a way that relates to the different meanings of words or other signs or symbols:

Humans have developed languages that are semantically rich and can cope easily with philosophical concepts.

2.     in a way that deliberately takes advantage of the connotations or associations attached to certain words:

He deals with this bombing campaign semantically by saying it is “not a war” since there are “no hostile troops on the ground.”

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

So, lot’s of defining needed here as, the days that we have already passed through, have shown the condition of most of our Christian brethren, and of the things on this earth. Ha, no but I don’t include fake-believers, make-believers, or non-interested in God anything people, of which I was one for over 30-yrs. 

Now but so, I came in my office to redo a message that I did the day before but it just wasn’t up to par (Baby Shark Dance), so I deleted it and expected to re-record it again this morning. But as usual if you give me any time in my head the messages start to drop in like gold nuggets. I am always looking for them because I suspect that maybe one day thousands will be dramatically impacted enough to want to know God above all else that is temporary and all of it is temporary. 

No but so, these four little words are what we can call quivers from the devil, and he is always looking to shoot them into his targets of which you are if you are an authentically born-again believer. 

So, my first thought was to define each of the four words so that we have a real good understanding of what they mean. Listen, words have power. Let there be light and there was light. Words created everything that is seen and unseen. Words. And when you lock into behaviors that are not of God, then it is a signal to you that you have been shot by the devil. Perhaps you let your spiritual guard down, forgot to read your daily 100 pages of the bible, ha, yah, but I don’t even read that many. Maybe you just haven’t entered into the reality that you have been set free, not recovering as some do, but actually they have been set free, like one minute you wanted to smoke, and the next minute you lost all appetite to do such a thing. That a supernatural only level of freedom. We will get back to that in a short bit. Let’s look into the quiver of the devils arsenal and see some of the more popular arrows that he uses. 

·       Worry

·       Anxiety

·       Fear

·       Doubt

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

I don’t know why this message other than to make a pretty good point which is that how we spend our time determines the strength of our relationship with God. No, this is not possible for those who are make-believers, fake-believers, or non-believers. They will swarm to whatever is popular. But now in that 15-billion number I wonder how many distracted, and I mean this by way of, this is what you do over spending time getting to know the God that you will be spending eternity with, are included in that number, or for that matter, any and all of whatever time is spend watching other videos. Now if you are totally up to speed with all things God then this message may simply be a tool to share with someone else, you know, who is inebriated with the lures of the devil. Ha, that came out of well somewhere didn’t it. So let’s move to it shall we?

This is a great number if your goal is to monetize your efforts right? But I am using this statistic to provide a different angle. Fifteen billion views to watch a video like this, and but we also have other music videos with more than a billion views. Again, nothing wrong as people got to make a living. But now what about the video’s or Podcasts that teach Gods word? What about those video’s whereby angels are recorded singing? How about the video’s where the Holy Spirit is moving powerfully? Compared to the above statistics, they are almost un-measurable numbers. And but why? I mean according to Google almost everyone in America is a Christian. It just doesn’t make sense. Well, unless somebody’s lying. Right?

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

How many times have we heard since about 911, it is actually scripture, well part of it, not that anyone who stated such things ever knew that it was scripture that they were quoting but nonetheless they said it in one form or fashion or another:

Is 9:10 - “The bricks have fallen down,
 But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
 The sycamores are cut down,
 But we will replace them with cedars.”

911, fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes’, economic disasters caused by the former administration, specifically the Palisades fire in SoCal. So what is up with this quoting a God curse? I just don’t get how we get backwards on things. Hummm, yes I do and that is the point of this message.

Jonathan Cahn has written some spectacular books on such things as these, and I would tell you which specific ones to get, but it would be more beneficial to you if you just got them all and read them.   

Talk about how dangerous this mindset is considering what God did to Israel when they said the same thing. What? Shouldn’t our great leaders know this Podcast Preacher? So what happened?

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

I do want to give a shout out to my listeners in North America and in Asia. There is no slowdown in them. I attribute these days in a hypothetical mind-thought. So imagine if we actually knew that Japan was going to attack Pearl Harbor, ok and yes we did actually know, but well you know. And so but if we believed it could and would happen what kind of preparations would we have made to protect it? And all those who served in the military shout out that we would have sent every airplane we had, more ships, many more troops, and a lot of anti-aircraft artillery right. The point is that we would have prepared. And so the event of all events is taking place which is that Jesus is returning and based on the signs of the time and the other global events that are taking shape, ought we not prepare? I mean, Jesus said something like. Nope, He said 

Luke 12:35-43 - 35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would [a]have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food [b]in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

I guess what I am saying before I get into the message, is that you cannot hear too much about the things of God in these days. The average amount of time that you put useless information into your noodle should not come anywhere near to exceeding the information about the things of God that you should be putting into your head. Now but really think about this. He is returning for you. Yes, make it personal because it is going to be very one-on-one-ish. When He comes what will you be doing. And but be real honest here. It is rather scary simple. Consider how much of your thoughts and actions are bent towards His approval now. If God is simply an item on your list of things to do in a day, you will be caught off guard. He is your coming perfect King. Nobody and nothing is comparable to what He is like. If someone said to you, hey I am coming over to your house to give you a trillion dollars, but your house must be spectacularly clean to get it. Why you would head off to the dollar store pronto and begin the process of complete sterilization of everything. Yes, you would be wiping off all of the food items in the pantry. You would sell off all of your animals just to be sure no more hair or smell of cat box remains. Ha, I am just saying you would go over the top for what? A little cash that is surely to bring you as much trouble is it does blessing. And but when He comes nothing but blessing follows for those who are watching, reading, praying (talking to Him), doing the things of God in everyday life. If you don’t already think this way then maybe its time to adjust your schedule, your

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

I was thinking this morning as I was well thinking, and this strange sort of story began to unfold right before my very mind. 

Let’s just get it.

I am using a deer, as in four-footed forest creature, as an analogy for how we as Christians might ever so be inclined to instruct God how we think, a God thing should work out, rather than just following His Will and His way in our lives at every commanded turn. 

So, there was this deer you see, who didn't like the idea, that every year his horns would fall off and then he would have to grow a new pair the following year. He thought that it was unwise not to have any protection for the antlerless part of the year. So he decided to ask God if instead of letting his horns fall off the in the next following year, if He, God would just allow them to remain. They would just stay on his head and continue to grow through the next year and the next, and so forth and so on. The deer also thought that this would allow him to eventually be the buck of all bucks, because he could walk a strut while the other bucks humbly got along, although at times still acting a little bucky. 

God said, “okay Bucky I will allow you to have your desire as you have requested. Too put in in human terms when we run off of the God beaten path He will also give us our desire, a desire we must have, to have run off the God beaten path.

So, the next year comes through and instead of Bucky’s horns falling off they remained on his head. He thought wow this is great because now my horns will have a growing head start a head of all of the other Bucky’s. He reflected on His conversation with God and murmured under his chinny breath, “we all make mistakes oh ye great horn maker of heaven and earth.” Ha

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

Now what a headache of a statement to hear from our Lord and Savior after all that He went through to save mankind from Hell right. I mean unless we don’t know what He went through, and truly from a human perspective, unnecessarily, because we are born sinners and really are not born with a desire to sacrifice for anyone unless there is something in it for us. Ha, and that is the thing right there that separates us from Him, from Jesus, in that there really wasn’t anything in it for Him. No, but hit the brain-thought pause button right there. Why was He being murdered for being honest in everything He said and did? I mean now think of this, from your perspective, your human perspective. Imagine you are a trillionaire with access to everything imaginable and unimaginable, and someone comes to you and makes you this offer. Heyman dude, hummm how would you like to set aside everything you have here, you know perfect peace, no wars, no disease, no sickness, no angry crowds shouting kill Him, kill Him, no drugs, no anything trying to destroy everything you have created, and go and rescue some people who with everything in them hate your living guts? Hummm, and but to complete the project you will have to allow them to murder you without any justification and complain not one word about it. And but you cannot also use any of your power to interrupt the process such as calling on legions of angels to fight against the mob-mad crowds. 

He said yes I will do it for just one of them. Wait, no really wait. He said yes to becoming human and living in a world dominated by sin, curses, evil, run by satan, in a horrible state of corruption at every angle, and under the rule of decay. He said yes to becoming your very life outside of God so that you could have a life in God. There was nothing in it for Him but to win over His enemies with love. No false god could have ever, would have ever, never in their fake and made up godness could have made such a sacrificial offer. And when I say becoming it, I mean He would become your sin, encounter the curses that come with being a sinner including dying in His flesh, Spirit, and His very Soul, being born-again as everyone who comes out of sin must be born again, and though He Himself wasn’t a sinner, He went to hell as a bearer of your sins, got absolutely mangled by every demon that ever did fall from heaven until He was no longer recognizable, and then when all of His precious blood was laid on the alter for you, His perfect sin-canceling blood given for you, He raised Himself up out of the grave with the ownership of the earth and all that resides on it once again. The cover letter still had Adams signature on it. Oh how we were absolutely helpless to deliver ourselves from well our sinful selves. And but God with everything to experience as a human, which was strictly a volunteer choice, did it for you and me. 

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/

Send us Fan Mail

Today more than ever there seems to be a spirit of hesitation that people go by in these days. Now you know I'm talking about Christians. And I know things come up such as people violating your trust, getting caught up in things you shouldn't have got caught up in and then making a personal vow to never let that happen again. And/or that God may have been just using that season to teach you something, but stopping or hesitating wasn't one of the things He was trying to teach you. However, you ending up being in a hesitory state is, well maybe it isn’t just nothing. You must deal with any offenses, and unforgiveness, any personal vows that you made which stop your spiritual growth and progress. You need to see that the devil uses people to stop you or to slow you down so by where at least daily you get passed up by a slug or two. It’s a strategy period.

Overreacting is another thing that is cojoined to the principle of hesitation. And I will try and give you an example here. 

So in Paradise we had a fire back in November 2018 and it burned about 80 percent or so of the town. And so but now that it has been just over 6 years later, the town of paradise, that is the government of paradise, is paying third party contractors to turn what could be manageable and lush Forest into deserts. We know this method as clear cutting and it's done all the time in the Amazon forest. Well guess what? It's alive and well in paradise now. The town pays contractors to literally strip the land of everything living with the exception of big trees for fear of another fire. Now many of you may not know this but the paradise fire was deemed as a 500-year fire event. This means that there was a lot of time to build up a lot of debris including the things that people collected and left on their properties to burn. But now desertification is going to be the new norm, at least based on what we're seeing right now. This is an improper way to manage a forest. And oh yes, penalties come from the Town if you yourself are unable to deforest on your own. Fear, fear, fear. 

https://appliedstrengthsministry.org/