The journey continues ...

The journey my Lord started me on many years ago now continues into the next phase of my life journey. This is becoming the culmination of a life long dream.

 LIKE COOL WATER TO A THIRSTY SOUL IS GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY. PROVERBS 25:25
Not so sure about the far country but I'm out here.

Mark Twain once said that "the rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated." I know of no rumors but that sounded kind of funny so I thot I would use it here.

I left Denver June 25th on this first leg of my maiden voyage. I traveled the back roads and found a good little diner in Kit Carson, CO. Really! There were two diners but one had been closed for months. Chelley, the chicken fried steak was like the ones we use to get from Furr's Cafeteria, covered one whole plate. They cut there own steaks, roasts and grind their own hamburger on site. Only problem is it was about 4 hours from Denver.

Got into Oklahoma and began to see gas for 2.22 a gallon. All the way across the state. I filled up in West Siloam Springs, OK, because I thot as soon as I pass the state line the price would go up. The very next station was 2.11 a gallon! Here in the NW Arkansas area, it averages about 2.35 a gallon.

I had a good time catching up with some ol' high school friends. Most were a lot older than me. ;~))

Also had a great time with my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and younger, at a 4th fling. We had t-shirts printed up that had this on the back "One trailer short of a trailer park".

I'll share some of the things the Lord has been showing me in a later post.

I've been fellowshipping in a Calvary Chapel in Fayetteville.
Love and God's blessings on y'all.

Troy

This election could be the most important, crucial, life changing event of this nation. We are going to decide if we want a socialist/communist government or a democratic free nation. We are going to vote as to whether or not we have the freedom to worship as we have. We are going to vote for our children's future.

But more important is that there is a spiritual battle for the very soul of America.

Are we Christians like the people of Israel who were looking for a messiah to deliver them from Roman rule? Are we looking for a messiah who will make everything right that has been taken away? No one person, group of people, no one political party, is going to be able to right what is wrong with our nation. It is a spiritual problem, a sin problem, a problem of the heart. Men's hearts need to be changed. Only God can change hearts. Only a nation wide turning back to God will deliver us. Even with such a revival, we Christians could still be under persecution. The Kingdom will increase even, or because of persecution.

We are first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of God. When we pray like Jesus taught we pray for His Kingdom to come and for God's will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. God's Kingdom is not a Democratic government nor is it a Republican government. Are we praying for His will to be done in our hearts, in our nation?

I know many are going to pout and say that because I don't like either choice I'm just not going to vote. Kind of childish, don't you think? Not voting is voting and you may not like who you put in office. Like you, I am an American who God chose to live in this free country and I will exercise my right, duty, privilege and vote.

As the saying goes, Freedom isn't free, every generation has to pay the price.  I, like many of you, have had family members who have served in the military, and some have given their lives for freedom. Are you going to make their sacrifice of no value by not exercising your right and privilege by pouting and not vote? SHAME ON YOU. Read the platform of each candidate and see if there are some stands that flat out go against what you believe. This may surprise you. Just  know that no person is perfect. We, they, have and do make mistakes.

Pray for this our country, its leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Pray against the tidal wave of evil filth that is overcoming this nation. Pray that people will do what is right. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will turn men's and women's hearts to Jesus.

Remember this ... JESUS IS RETURNING SOON. ARE YOU READY FOR HIS APPEARING?

WELL, DUH, TROY...

Have you ever done something that seemed so right and yet you wondered why you never did it before? Or, how could I forget that?

A few weeks back I posted on Facebook about some struggles I was going thru, to me they were
spiritual attacks and I was frustrated... now that is an understatement.

When I finished my rant, I said that we have victory in Jesus. And that is so true, but I didn't come back and tell you of the victory I had in Jesus and how it came about.

When I posted on FB my rant about being tired of giving into sin, of feeding my flesh, etc., many, many of you posted words of encouragement, help, prayers, One of the notes told of how she would walk around repeating "No temptation has seized you except what common to man...etc".
1 Corinthians 10:13

At first I passed on over that but during my afternoon driving job I started doing that. I was quoting verses that I only remembered part of them, some only a single word. "He has given me a sound mind"2 Timothy 1:7; Peace of God transcend all"Philippians 4:7; "I have the mind of Christ"1Corinthians 2:16. I had more the next day. It was the Word. It hit me after an hour or so, I was feeling peace and no turmoil. WOW! I kept at it. That evening I started writing down verses on small pieces of paper and carried them with me in the car.   It was working, praise God.

Now it's ok to say Well, Duh, Troy...didn't you know  that? Yes, but like so many of us I did not use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word. I was doing battle with my fleshly, carnal weapons, but when I
started doing battle in the heavenlies with the Sword of the Spirit everything changed.

Where does sin start?  In the mind James 1:14,15. Joyce Meyer has a teaching series called WHERE THE MIND GOES THE MAN FOLLOWS. At first I disagreed with that, then it hit me,
Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) "For as he (man) thinketh in his heart (mind), so is he..."

The battleground for satan is our mind. Sin is first conceived in the mind. Nobody just suddenly sins. That is why our weapons cannot be carnal instead they must be spiritual.

Use the Sword of the Spirit against satan and his lies. Take that Sword out of the scabbard and do battle against our enemy by using the Word. The Word is "sharper than any two edged sword..."
Hebrew 4:12

VICTORY IS IN JESUS !!!!

RUNNING FROM A TYPHOON AND GOD'S PLAN

Recently the Lord brought back an incident that happened while I was on active duty in the Navy. We were going to sail from the Philippine Islands to San Francisco harbor.  We upped anchor and left Subic Bay and headed north through the Luzon straits and then in to the South Pacific. This was an area where some US Navy ships had been sunk by tropical storms/typhoons in WWII. We had the course set for San Francisco harbor but we were also trying to avoid a Typhoon. We were forced off our course, forced to leave our set course so as to be on the outer edge of the the typhoon.  For several hours ( sure seemed longer ) we were tossed around like a cork by the wind and ocean waves, and we were a large vessel. Eventually, we left the typhoon behind and with the help of the technology we had, ie, compass and radio weather broadcasts, we were able to come back to our original course and sailed on to the good ol' USA.

The Lord showed me that He has a plan for me, and for each of us, but the devil tries to get us off course. He buffets us and tosses us around so as to confuse and discourage us.

While we trust in the Lord and put ourselves in his care he will see us through. However, sometimes we allow the devil to keep us distracted and confused about what the Lord wants us to do.

Pay attention to your compass, The Bible, and to the weather forecasts, the Holy Spirit, and you can stay on course.

WAITING IN EXPECTATION

This morning as I was praying and reading I turned to Psalm 5. It spoke clearly to me. I was praying, sighing, and crying out to God. See what it spoke:

"Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

Now I am WAITING IN EXPECTATION.  He heard me and He is moving on my behalf.

THOSE CLAY POTS

       The pots. Six pots, set off to the side. I wonder if we have ever really thought about the pots? Here's Jesus at a wedding. His disciples are there. His mother is there, and as the wedding progresses, they've run out of wine.

       One thing we have to know is that in this time period,, to run out of wine during a wedding celebration was a major insult to all the guests. It would heap dishonor on the host, and more than likely the host was a friend of Jesus because...well, Jesus was invited, and you don't invite just anybody to a wedding. So here's Jesus and his friends, and it becomes clear to Mary that they have run out of wine.

       Mary, on faith goes to Jesus. "They've run out of wine..." Jesus puts her off. "It's not my time." but Mary, her faith in what Jesus can do never wavering, looks to the servants and says, "Do whatever He tells you." And what does Jesus Say? "Take those pots, and fill them with water."

       Take THOSE pots? But what were those pots? If you're like me, you think they were pitchers just like you would normally think you would put wine into. Ahh, but that's not what it says.  It says, "Now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification..." Those pots would have been large, maybe even about 30-40 gallon pots.The Jewish custom of purification.  That means those pots are there for the Jews to wash themselves, to purify themselves in order to be clean enough to share a meal.

       Notice. Jesus did not say, 'Take them and wash them with Dawn detergent and then go out and fill them with water.' In fact, He doesn't even mention washing them out first. He just says, 'Take them and fill  them with water.'

       What does this mean to us today>? It's simple.  We are not required to get our act together and then go to God. We are those dirty pots (see 2 Corinthians 4:7), yes, we are those dirt pots - full of filth of our lives, even the filth of our own attempts to wash our sinfulness away with our religions, our rules and our rituals (un-biblical).

       Those rituals can never save you. Even if you live by the rule you are still unclean. You still need to wash and to be washed. And then Jesus comes along and without requiring you to get clean first, He points to you and says, 'Fill that one with my water.' The living water that He refers to later on. 'Fill her with my water. Fill him with my water.'

       And then, as if that's not enough, He tells the servants to take some of what has come out of those pots to the head waiter who  will judge the wine, the fruit that comes from these dirty, filthy, stinking pots. Think about that. All these people have washed themselves in these pots, and now these servants are going to take what they know was dirty water only minutes before to the ultimate judge to seek his approval to share it with the others. Those servants had to be fearful for their very lives!

       Isn't this just like you and me? We are those pots, once filthy and dirty, but now not only filled with the living water, but filled with the wine of a new life. And the fruit that has come out of us is now taken to the ultimate Judge. Does the Judge take one sip and spit it out in horror at our filth? No...you know the end of the story. He praises the bridegroom for saving the best wine for last.

       Jesus is the new wine. He is the best, and He wants to fill you right now. Not when you get your act cleaned up, not when you've gotten yourself presentable (by your own standards). Right now. He is standing here calling you to be filled with His new wine. The question is: Will you let Him do it, will you do whatever He says, or are you still going to try to do it on your own? It's your choice.

       Later on I want to talk about those servants doing their daily routine and what they got to be a part of.

Be filled!

With you on this journey He has set us on.
Troy