INTIMACY WITH GOD JOURNAL

AUGUST 2010

                              Mike & Linda Schreurs

   I’ve been pondering lately how so many of us want ‘perfection’ in many areas of our lives.  We want a perfect mate, perfect house, perfect job, perfect kids, etc.  And of course, we all know none of those things are possible!   We can never be totally perfect as long as we dwell in this tent of flesh.  Paul so aptly says in Romans 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.”  But then, he goes on to say in chapter 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are IN CHRIST JESUS.”  (My emphasis.)   It’s a dichotomy, and yet not. 

   Certainly we can all testify to the weakness of this temporal tent of the flesh.   But it’s a blessed reality to know that when we are submitted to the Lord Jesus, we are transformed by His power and therefore can live a holy life that honors Him in every way.

   I keep telling different ones I minister to that there is no such thing as perfection in this life.  I bet my husband could testify to that one!  But I counsel them to get their eyes off themselves, those around them, and the circumstances they find themselves in.    Their focus is off! 

   Perfection has only been known once on the entire plant earth and that - in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.   (Ps. 50: 1-2; 1 Pet. 1:13-20)  His holy invasion into humanity gave hope to us that in Him, we are made righteous.  In Him, we are cleansed and made whole. 

   I tell these dear hearts, “Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus; no one, nor anything else!”  Hebrews 12:2 teaches “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.”  (My emphasis). 

   God’s grace is sufficient for you just as it was for Paul.  (2 Corinthians 12: 9)  Power is perfected in weakness.   Look up!

                                                 Linda Schreurs

   It’s now law in our home state of Iowa that you can be fined for texting while driving.  It’s a very dangerous practice and one in which we pray you do not engage in because it has already taken too many lives.  It is now the leading cause of vehicle accidents.

   But there’s another text messaging that we need to be acutely aware of.  Its God’s text messages in the scriptures and it saves lives!  

   In my recent book, Armageddon Bride, there’s a chapter called:  God’s Word:  A Hot Commodity.   I share my view of how the scriptures will, more than at any other time in human history, become the most valuable entity (possession) at the End of the Age.  The most sought after commodity won’t be silver, gold, diamonds, land, oil, or any other perceived wealth of this world.  But God’s divine Breath, His Holy Word revealed within the Bible, will be the only sure thing in our lives when all things are severely being shaken.

   Multitudes of events have been rattling and shaking our lives these days with the falling of tall skyscrapers, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, fires, oil spills, terrorist attacks, wars, the economy and so many other things.  Let us wake up and realize within the holy texts of the Bible lie the matter of life and death eternal.  We most certainly need to know its messages right NOW – TODAY, while it is still called ‘today’!  In the book of Hebrews it says repeatedly that today if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart as the Israelites did in the Old Testament.  (See Heb. 3 and 4)   

Everything shaken up

   Beloved believers, be alert to Haggai 2:5-8 which clearly prophesies these things:

“‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’  For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while,  I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.  And I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of the nations; and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts.”   

   All the wealth of the earth belongs to God since He created it, so why should we be so mindful of it?  It’s all passing away and no one can take it with them when they die.  But God’s holy Breath, His ordained, powerful, glorious Words given to mankind in the holy text messages of the Bible - THOSE WORDS abide forever! “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”  (Isa. 40:8; 1 Pet. 1:25; 2 Tim. 3:16)   Which do you choose to focus on?   Your stuff or God’s stuff?

   Our ipods, Facebook, emails, twittering, texting, etc., with all of men’s advancing technologies will never reach the highest wisdom of the Throne Room of God Almighty.  We humans need a transformation from pride and arrogance to complete, surrendered, self-reliance to the reverential fear of the Lord!  We all must become aware of our extremely fragile state and begin to bow, bend and believe the holy texts found in the Eternal Word of God.  “The proud look of man will be abased, and the loftiness of man will be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.”  (Isa. 2:11)   Psalm 111, verse 10 so aptly states that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Let’s get more knowledge of God! 

That sound!

   I’m talking about a life-long commitment of reading, learning and knowing what the Lord has to say in those inspired pages of scripture.  We are not called to pick and choose, or tear to bits and pieces which texts we like best or want in order to reword things to fit our ‘current lifestyles.’ (Prv. 30:6; 2 Cor. 4: 1-2; 2 Tim. 4:1-4; Rev. 22:19)   God’s word is TIMELESS.  It fits every generation till the last human is born, dies, and enters into eternity at the last sound heard around the globe. 

   That sound is the final trumpet blast announcing Jesus’ Second and final entry into earth’s atmosphere to take His Bride, the church away!  “…And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.  And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”  (Matt. 24:30-31; 1 Cor. 15; 1 Thess. 4; Heb. 12:18-29; Rev. 8:2, 11:15) 

   At that precise moment, whose words will you want to know and hear?  It surely will not be what this or that president, emperor, ambassador, king or queen has to say, for they are only flesh and blood.  But out of the spectacular, awesome, powerful Presence of Christ descending upon earth, you will want to have known what the King of kings has said!  Why not discover it now?!  As the earth disintegrates into oblivion, God’s text messages will be all we’ll be able to cling to for life – life eternal that is!  In  Matthew 24:35, the Son of God says plainly, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”  (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14)  

 Falling in love

    Accepting Christ as your Savior and falling in love with God’s Word is the best thing you could ever do in your life! Become impassioned with it, love it, live it, embrace it, cherish it, devour it as Jeremiah the prophet prompts us: “Thy words were found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.”  (Jer. 15:16)        

   Many of us are aware of the stories from far away lands of how the scriptures are smuggled in because man’s laws do not permit the Bible to be read there.   It’s wonderfully amazing how valuable just one piece or page of God’s Word is to whoever receives it under those circumstances.  They’ll hide it to protect it from being confiscated or worse yet, being murdered for having it in their possession.  They truly have fallen passionately in love with the Word of God. Oh what an awesome treasure are the texts of our God!  

   Hebrews 4:12 is one of my personal favorite portions of the Bible which says, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Since it’s living and active, God is speaking all the time.  He is ‘texting’ us all the time!  How beautiful, how wonderful can that be?!  But are we listening?  Are we paying attention?  Do we even care that our Creator has a lot to say about our circumstances, our pain, sorrows and struggles?  He is the great ‘I AM THAT I AM.’  (Gen. 3:14)  He is MOST HIGH GOD!  Therefore He is the best doctor, the best surgeon, best parent (Father God), best psychologist, counselor, friend, protector, Savior, lover of our soul, and so much more!  There is really no end to the awesomely powerful characteristics of God Almighty.   Hallelujah!

   2 Timothy 3:16 states all scripture is inspired by God, or as the original language says, its ‘God-Breathed.’   It’s very much alive!   Are we responding to it?  Are we ‘texting Him’ back with our reply of a lifestyle of righteousness, purity, integrity, kindness, love, forgiveness, praise, worship, adoration and all that His Word instructs us to do?  

  How’s your life working for you?

    So how is it with your soul?   Is your mind clouded with confusion, doubt, worry, anxiety and fear?   If so, reading the texts in the divine book of the Lord will bring relief to your weary soul.   Sounds good doesn’t it?  It’s health to your entire being!   

   If you’re a new believer or a seasoned believer, may I suggest you do a personal study of Psalm 119?   It is extremely rich in it’s theme of keeping God’s Word in your life.  In fact, it says over and over again how it revives us.       

 Utterly profound

    Within the confines of a small monthly journal such as this one, I could not, nor could anyone else ever truly convey the glorious treasures found in God’s own text messages, the Holy Bible.  It’s so utterly profound it really defies description in earthly languages.  (2 Cor. 12:3)  But when you engage it, when you read it and embrace it, your own heart begins to be quickened by the Holy Spirit.  Then, you realize for yourself the life, power, and victory within its eternal pages.  Why?   Because it’s God’s TIMELESSNESS Breath!  Its power goes beyond the space and place of this tiny, fading planet.

   But what I can say without a doubt, because I’ve experienced it for myself along with countless others through thousands of years, is that it is LIFE ETERNAL.  Its scope is a magnitude not fully comprehended by humanity, but only in the sense of its supreme power, authority and love that sent God’s only Son to die for us that we might know His Word and be saved!  In the midst of the deepest sorrows mankind can ever know, it is God’s Word which magnifies the splendors of His divine majesty bringing joy beyond belief!   It is the sweetest aroma of love in this life you will ever know!  (See 2 Cor. 2:14-17; Eph. 5:1-2; Song of Songs 3:6-11)

 The cereal bowl

    A few weeks ago I had a brief, one-scene dream.  In it, I saw words on little slits of paper being poured into a cereal bowl like Fruit Loops. The little papers had words or phrases from scripture on them and looked a lot like confetti with different colors. Obviously the words were to be eaten or devoured.  (Jer. 15:16; Ezkl. 3:1-3)

   When I awoke I asked the Lord what was that all about?!  He said very clearly, “My Word is bigger than you think!” (John 1;6:68)  I’m still chewing on that revelation and I’m sure you will as well.  It has rocked my world!   I also realized the different confetti colors represent celebration as well as His covenant promises.  (Gen. 9; Ps. 103:17-18; Luke 22:20; 2 Cor. 3; Heb. 7:22; Rev. 11:18-19)  And for those who keep them, they will be taken into heaven as the pure, spotless Bride of Christ {His body/the church}.  Hallelujah!   (Eph. 5) 

   Do not allow yourself to be lost and rebuked by the Living Lord of lords and King of kings.  Jesus warns in Matthew 22:29, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures or the power of God.”      

   More than any other time in my life, I feel a deep burning to KNOW and LIVE the divine scriptures.  I pray this for you as well.  

   The aforementioned dream has made me much more sensitive to the precious heart of the Lord.  I feel as though He’s pleading with all of us to fall in love with His Living Word.  Why?  Time is shorter than we think!   His Word is more powerful than we think!  He is coming soon!   Prepare!