Jeremiah

When a Nation Mutes Truth When a people "Mute" the right voice for the wrong vision (Jeremiah 44). No One Ever Strays Accidentally "Cease listening to instruction... and you will stray from the words of knowledge" (Proverbs 19:27). "A man who wanders from the way of understanding will be comfortable among the walking dead" (Proverbs 21:16). We find too many "muting" the truth and turning up the volume of the voice of the lies and falsehoods of this world. When we mute what is needed most, while under the trials and test of life, instead of finding help we turn up the noise of this world and stray further and further from the guidance and glory of recognizing His presence. Help us Lord... "When someone wanders from the WAY of understanding, they will naturally find comfort and a sense of safety with their new companions. They will celebrate the same kind of places, walking down the same kind of paths and making the same kind of priorities about life, with those who live, day in and day out, without the light of God and life giving wisdom and direction He gives to those that trust and seek Him " (Proverbs 21:16). Through the years I've picked up a tip that's helped me understand a principle when digging into the truth that God gives. What is it? I pay attention to what a passage doesn't say. This has been a rich tool to help me see what God is saying to us. For example: Notice the principle above. What Proverbs 21:16 doesn't say is this: it doesn't say that they wander FROM understanding, no, they wandered from [the WAY of] understanding. 
 What does this indicate? They who misplace their focus will eventually misplace their convictions. Focus follows faith... wha

Avoiding False Expectations "And do you seek GREAT THINGS for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh, says the Lord. But I will give you your life to you, as a prize in all places, wherever you go" (Jeremiah 45:5). Misery will let you mine for it's endless bottom, as long as you would like. And pity will throw you a big ole sad party, and celebrate its victory over you, all the way down its chasm of defeat and despair. But you nor I will NEVER throw a pity party or explore the dark hole of misery, in search of a glimmer of hope and light, without inviting or dragging others down the bottomless pit with us. Don't take up the offer the enemy throws on the table... he loves throwing his victims pity parties. He absolutely loves it... and the price is higher than you think. Remember, he's a liar and a deceiver, therefore, you cannot trust him or the parties his host. So... I encourage you to NEVER host any of his parties, don't accept any invitations to someone else's pity party and stop digging in the pits of misery and look up. There's no light in his hole of lies and darkness... and let the Lord, in His mercy, establish your expectations. #nestingwithjesus #jeremiah #jeremiah39 #jeremiah45 #1samuel23 #psalm3 #david #baruch #jeremiah #greatthings #falseexpectations #expectations #hopes #dreams #pityparties #misery #proverbs13and12 #proverbs16and9 #lovewell #makeitcount #whenGodisinit #thelifterofmyhead #transformer #Goddoesnothingaccidentally #transformedtotransform #coffeetrees #coffeecherries #roastedcoffee #coffeebeans #aprocess

It Matters… (Part 2) Does It Really Matter? Yes, when God sends you... it all matters. Jeremiah, Joseph, Paul all were SENT — by God — into conditions and circumstances that they would not have chosen themselves. YET — they grasped the goodness and glory of God while in and through the challenges that reflected the goodness and glory of God as they walked or sailed through it. Jeremiah's life is 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 manifested: The means of the affliction was God. The mission to comfort and deliver life was from God. The ministry of sharing his life and struggles with the presence of God upon it all provided a great platform to transfer life. WHEN GOD SENDS YOU... IT MATTERS! How we deal with problems How we treat people How we handle pride. From the prison to the palace... the work of a Master who never waste a stroke of His brush. 
 What matters? Everything... and if everything matters: "First we ignore evil that we think doesn't relate to us. Then we allow that evil, that we think doesn't effect us. Then we let them legalize that evil that we think doesn't impact us. Then we say little to nothing, when they promote that evil, that once didn't bother us. Then we have something against that evil, that we didn't think much of, but they now celebrate that evil, bringing it to our front door demanding we embrace and enjoy it with them. Then we wonder why they persecute us when we think differently than they and call it an evil." All the while we made it about ourselves, which is just as evil, as the evils they legalized, because we justified it, as long as it didn't impact our lifestyles. Isaiah 5:20, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put d

It Matters… (Part 1) When God sends you... it Matters Jeremiah, Joseph, Paul all were SENT — by God — into conditions and circumstances that they would not have chosen themselves. YET — they grasped the goodness and glory of God while in and through the challenges that reflected the goodness and glory of God as they walked or sailed through it. 
 What matters? Everything... and if everything matters: • How you get there matters! (The MEANS is God... and the means how He got you where you are really matters. If all we ever do is complain and blame everyone else we'll miss out on the means, we'll lose focus on our mission and we'll never minister and bless anyone. Joseph recognized it was God who sent him, not his brothers. They were part of the means how He sent him. The slave traders, Potiphar, his wife, the prison and the dreams were all part of the means.) • Why you're there matters! (The MISSION is always about life... and life matters. Joseph was sent, by God, before His people, to preserve life for them and their future descendants. Why he was sent matters. Psalm 105:16-23.) • What you do, why you're there, matters! (The MINISTRY matters. The ministry of serving others matters so we can can ultimately fulfill the MISSION.) To fulfill the mission of bringing life to a lifeless and drought stricken world... we have to serve those we share life with: those in our homes, communities, churches, on our jobs, in the marketplace. We are told that Abraham and his descendants [after him] would be a blessing wherever God SENT them. Their service to others, provided the platform needed to be in position to fulfill their mission…

Your Mind — How to Take Your Thinking Captive and Guard Your Heart Jeremiah, like each of us, had to learn how to guard his heart and protect his mind. In my previous message, "Does it Really Matter (Part 1)," we talk about how important it was for Jeremiah to discern God's voice over the noise in his day. A day when every word was filled with deception and rooted in falsehood and lies. He had to learn how to take these strongholds and vain insights into captivity. He lived among a world that had muted the truth and now only mumbled lies and mocked the ways of God. And this can only lead to problems upon problems (Jeremiah 44). Proverbs warns us of the dangers of "skipping" or "turning down the volume," as it applies to, "listening to God and His instructions for life." What's the warning? It's inevitable and unavoidable... once anyone loses interest and tunes out God's word, His ways and His irreplaceable wisdom they are going to "stray from the words of knowledge and depart from the way of understanding and be at peace and comfortable among those who lack any of God's wisdom and insight" (Proverbs 19:27 ; 21:16). C'mon... it's not that we don't have a good grip on life, most of us do. What then is our problem? Our problem is this. We don't have a good grip on heaven, and it's eternal purpose for us, in this life. Therefore, we have a listening issue that will lead to trouble, every time. Why? God has answers and solutions but they hinge on us listening to God's wisdom for life. But if I'm not persuaded He has the right solution for every issue of life I won't seek nor submit to His answers for life and love. And at the end of the day I have not learned how to take c

Resolving Conflicts — Hope in the Midst of Relational Droughts God's wisdom is never threatened. God's wisdom is never defensive. God's wisdom is never not pure. God's wisdom has an answer. God's wisdom has a solution for the problem. God's wisdom will never encourage His people to: "Follow your heart!" Now that's a relevant and pointed statement for some. It's obvious that it's not a new thing but I'm seeing the message on a lot of things. And I understand why it's such a popular slogan. "Trust or follow your heart," does work, but give me a minute and let me qualify what I mean. It works but not for everyone. I didn't always look at it this way. When I'd see it, I would often counter the message with a big, "No! Don't trust your heart, trust Jesus with your heart and let Him lead you." But, with time and trust, I started to see that this message does work for some. It works and applies to those that have nothing more than their heart to trust. It's what a natural man, without a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus, must rely upon. But a disciple of Jesus need not trust his or her own hurt. Their trust would be misplaced and misled if they lean upon what they understand, as a mere man or woman, with no divine leadership over their lives. They can trust what God's put in their heart... what He's doing inside of them, but it will do them well to guard their heart by taking captive every thought unto the obedience of Jesus. An unbelieving world (is not a world that doesn't believe anything, therefore, the phrase "unbelieving world" is applied to those who believe and follow someone or

Surrender God's solution… surrender or die! The news God put before the man was the way of life (surrender to God and the King He appointed over you) or the way of death (die and perish in your own rebellion. Pride and the fear of men will only lead to one down a path perpetual deception and darkness. Forever darkness belongs to those who do not surrender to God's way of life and the King He's ordained to conquer your life. Redeeming grace has an agenda to reach, impeach and teach. Grace reaches sinners in their sin and rebellion, impeaches them off of their self-centered, self-reliant, self-seeking and self-righteous throne and teaches them how love Jesus and live in the light of His promises. Grace isn't an ALLOWABLE means to do [whatever], but a REDEEMABLE means...by which God redeems, reveals and refreshes His servants from what the law condemns and the flesh corrupts. Grace doesn't focus on what we're giving up or that we have to give up everything. Grace focuses our attention on what we gain. We gain everything lovely and beautiful and needful to live, love and look for Jesus. We don't ever have to worry about GRACE doing right. Now you or me, that's a different story... that is, unless GRACE is involved. When God's REDEEMING GRACE gets involved, in our wrongness, it redeems us from a wrong and restores us from our waywardness. #nestingwithjesus #jeremiah #jeremiah37 #jeremiah38 #jeremiah39 #jeremiah15 #zedekiah #ebedmelech #ethiopian #surrender #trust #thewayoflife #thewayofdeath #lost #lostness #meanwhile #humanity #mankindwithoutJesus #luke10 #luke10and25 #compassion #luke10and25thru37 #Jesus #thegoodSamaritan #threekindsofpeople

Surrounded and Shielded with Favor Surrounded — By Favor and Songs of the Righteous HOW we see will determine WHAT we notice. And the beautiful things that catches our eyes and ears, like the sounds that turn our heads, the longings that delight our hearts, the thoughts that lift our spirits and certain qualities of life that continue to invite and move us beyond the struggles of every day life, reveal much about us. The HOW we see and think are determined by the WHY we think and see certain things that attract our gaze and cause us to miss other things that have very little affect upon us. We look at several characters in this word, men like David, Jeremiah, Baruch and other examples of love and loyalty. King David said that God was the lifter of his head... (Psalm 3) WHY? He was a man after God's own heart. His delight and meditation was upon the Lord and His ways (Psalm 1). Therefore, WHAT he saw and heard was filtered through God's voice and glory and favor and presence and protection that was manifested in both truth and every aspect of his life. Therefore, HOW did he see his enemies? He seen their defeat, before they even started their war upon him. Before his God they were a defeated foe, before they even made known they were his foe. Because, the king knew, no weapon formed against him would prosper to the intention and purpose of the enemy. WHY? God was for him... and because God was for him, who could ever be against him? God is He who had stollen the show from the enemy and had lifted David's head toward Him? WHY? Because God owned David's heart and life... and when God was present, all eyes and ears and heart were upon fixed Him. #nestingwithjesus #jere

A Word for the "Pits" of Life Grace for the Race Glory in the Run… Meanwhile... (Jeremiah 24 ; Jeremiah 29 ; Jeremiah 39:11-18 ; Isaiah 26:3 ; Hebrews 11) Meanwhile... Favor is working when you're wondering, how to fulfill the assignment God's given. Meanwhile... Favor is working, when God tells you you're getting out, without telling you you're getting out. Meanwhile... Favor is working, when your trust is at work, when nothing will work for those around you or those against you. Meanwhile... Favor is working, when your enemy has the momentum and plotting against you. #nestingwithjesus #jeremiah #jeremiah38 #jeremiah39 #jeremiah40 #jeremiah24 #pit #prison #servant #ebedmelech #isaiah26and3 #trusted #fixed #stayed #outhouse #ethopian #terror #proverbs1 #eat #fruit #fruitofyourownfancy #sovereign #Nebuchadnezzar #hebrews11 #cloudofwitness #gracefortherace #run seek #seekfirst #heseesknowsandcares #Hecanfindyou #Hecangetawordtoyou #Hecangetawordthroughyou #worship #fear #fearoftheLord #Lamb #Lion #Patmos #meanwhile #prison #outoftouch #blamedJeremiah #ebedmelech #Ethiopian #meanwhile #trusted #compassion #luke10and25thru37 #Jesus #thegoodSamaritan #threekindsofpeople #favor #favorisworking

God Sees You He knows where you are! The Lord will find you, where you are and get a word to you, for you and those you serve. He can find you... get a word to you and through you, no matter where you are or what you're going through. We look at John's isolation on the isle of Patmos to Jeremiah's imprisonment during the days of Zedekiah and Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 39). #nestingwithjesus #jeremiah #jeremiah38 #jeremiah39 #jeremiah10 #jeremiah10and7 #revelation1 #revelation2 #revelation19and10 #revelation15 #revelation15and3thru4 #heseesknowsandcares #Hecanfindyou #Hecangetawordtoyou #Hecangetawordthroughyou #worship #fear #fearoftheLord #Lamb #Lion #Patmos #meanwhile #prison #outoftouch #blamedJeremiah #ebedmelech #Ethiopian #meanwhile #trusted #compassion #luke10and25thru37 #Jesus #thegoodSamaritan #threekindsofpeople #favor #favorisworking