Today’s teaching is so simple and true.
The emphasis is not on the tax,
but on the WHO.

I invite you to read this verse
and let me know if you see it too.

“When Jesus and His disciples
had come to Capernaum,
those who received the temple tax
came to Peter and said, 
“Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”

He said, “Yes.”

And when Peter had come into the house,
Jesus anticipated him, saying,
“What do you think, Simon?
From whom do the kings of the earth
take customs or taxes,
from their sons or from strangers?”

Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”

Jesus said to him,
“Then the sons are free.
Nevertheless, lest we offend them,
go to the sea, cast in a hook,
and take the fish that comes up first.
And when you have opened its mouth,
you will find a piece of money;
take that and give it to them 
for Me and you.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:24-27‬

What a great teaching from Jesus Christ.
He tells how the kings of the earth work,
and then he follows it up
with how followers of Him
are supposed to act.
Government -in the earth realm
is not about freedom
as we have been told.
It’s about presidents and public leaders 
obtaining wealth by squeezing the throats
of other humans.
It’s about creating customs
to advance the earth realm,
and strategizing it’s position
to replace the Kingdom of God.

And instead of fighting with it,
and demanding justice, 
Jesus said,
“Nevertheless, lest we offend them,
go to the sea, cast in a hook,
and take the fish that comes up first.”

It appears
Jesus wants his followers to understand
the truth about the earth realm,
where the heart of the government
is all about selfish demands.
It appears
Jesus wants his followers to understand
that they should be careful
not to offend what the leaders command.

I love that Jesus differentiates
between sons and strangers,
He shows the difference
between citizens of the earth realm
and citizens who belong to Heaven;
between the Seed of the woman
and the seed of Satan.
​​

Can I just say,
I love writing poetic sermons
from Bible passages.
It makes me slow down
when eating the Word of God,
and it tastes so good!
I’m able to chew on every morsel
and it totally helps with the digestive process.
So what I do is pick a book,
then read one chapter at a time.
Then I meditate on God’s Word
and wait for Holy Spirit to direct my thoughts
on what He wants me to write.
This is the way I break my fast,
every morning before becoming fully conscious.
It's completely satisfying.

The verse I ate this morning was this,
“And when they
(Jesus and his disciples)
had come to the multitude,
a man came to Him,
kneeling down to Him and saying,
“Lord, have mercy on my son,
for he is an epileptic and suffers severely;
for he often falls into the fire
and often into the water.
So I brought him to Your disciples,
but they could not cure him.”
Then Jesus answered and said,
“O faithless and perverse generation,
how long shall I be with you?
How long shall I bear with you?
Bring him here to Me.”
And Jesus rebuked the demon,
and it came out of him;
and the child was cured
from that very hour.
Then the disciples
came to Jesus privately and said,
“Why could we not cast it out?”
So Jesus said to them,
“Because of your unbelief;
for assuredly, I say to you,
if you have faith as a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move;
and nothing will be impossible for you.
However, this kind does not go out
except by prayer and fasting.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:14-21
‬
There are so many excretions
that came from chewing this word,
it’s hard to know what particle
the Lord wants me to focus on.
But that’s where Holy Spirit comes in.
He’s the One who lights my path
and illuminates the Word of God.

What He showed me first are the words
“faithless and perverse generation"
I don’t believe Jesus is talking just to them.
I believe he is talking to every human.
He is not just talking about
a horizontal birthing relationship,
based off human intention 
and reproductive multiplication.
No.  The generation He refers to
is a people who have sprung up
from a common source of faithlessness
witnesses by our timeless God.

The generation referred to here
is about the human branch
that is not directly attached to Him.
The branch that is not grafted in.

And then,
the next verse that went down my throat,
was the disciples question,
“Why could we not cast it out?”

I think it’s because
I’ve often asked God the same question,
"Why can't I cast demons out
when I use the name of God."
It's still a question that I have.

I’ve been told over and over again,
that its not about my lack of faith
but it’s because the healing does not align
to God’s will, or to the heart of the person
to whom it’s supposed to go.

But now, in the flesh, I’m totally confused.
Because while Jesus’s Ministry 
was about Repentance and turning back to God,
He could not stop His compassion from flowing out
to a lost and broken world.

He healed the sick.
He healed the blind.
He healed the mute,
and made lame men walk.
He even brought the dead to life.
Wherever Jesus went,
the Spirit of God worked through Him.
You see, all good things do not come
by might nor by power,
but by the Spirit of God.
Zechariah 4:6

Jesus said to his followers,
“Because of your unbelief;
for assuredly, I say to you,
if you have faith as a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move;
and nothing will be impossible for you.
However, this kind does not go out
except by prayer and fasting.”

What do you think He meant?
Well, for me,
it’s finally beginning to make sense.
Holy Spirit just showed me The Vine.

“I am the true vine,
and My Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit
He takes away;
and every branch that bears fruit
He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word
which I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him,
bears much fruit; for without Me
you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me,
he is cast out as a branch and is withered;
and they gather them
and throw them into the fire,
and they are burned.
If you abide in Me,
and My words abide in you,
you will ask what you desire,
and it shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified,
that you bear much fruit;
so you will be My disciples.
“As the Father loved Me,
I also have loved you;
abide in My love.
If you keep My commandments,
you will abide in My love,
just as I have kept
My Father’s commandments
and abide in His love.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:1-10‬

You see, all goodness
comes from the Father.
He is the Master Gardener,
and His produce is Love
and His grapes are expensive wine.

His character is always expressed
when He is attached to a person
who is attached to Him.

And yet, Jesus was crucified
and experienced a horrible death.
Why? Does it mean
He is not connected to God?

For a moment in time, the Lamb was slain
to break the curse of sin and death,
and bring back the blessing of God.

You see, Gods plan was to have children
who would always live with him.
Eternal life - free from sin.

This world is only a temporary place,
where we will live and die in the physical realm.
Sin and death is all around.
This place is not our home.

Jesus came to shed His blood
so that those who believe Jesus
is the Son o God
will enter the Kingdom of Heaven
and live in the New Jerusalem.

So this brings me to the last morsel of food.  
Jesus said,
“However, this kind does not go out
except by prayer and fasting.”
What in the world
do you think He is talking about?

Holy Spirit is bringing to mind…Daniel 9.
Daniel 9 shows the character of man
that God is looking for.
A humble, faithful servant
who submits himself before the Lord.
The scripture says,
“Now while I was speaking, praying,
and confessing my sin
and the sin of my people Israel,
and presenting my supplication
before the Lord my God
for the holy mountain of my God,”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭9:20‬

That is when the angel Gabriel came
to present a vision from the Lord -
The 70 week prophecy that God gave mankind
as a timeline for the Coming King!
And Daniel 10 speaks to man’s ability
to press into the vine.

“Then he said to me,
“Do not fear, Daniel,
for from the first day
that you set your heart to understand,
and to humble yourself
before your God,
your words were heard;
and I have come
because of your words.
But the prince of
the kingdom of Persia
withstood me twenty-one days;
and behold, Michael,
one of the chief princes,
came to help me,
for I had been left alone there
with the kings of Persia.
Now I have come
to make you understand
what will happen to your people
in the latter days,
for the vision refers to
many days yet to come.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭10:12-14
“And now I must return
to fight with the prince of Persia;
and when I have gone forth,
indeed the prince of Greece will come.
But I will tell you what is noted
in the Scripture of Truth.
No one upholds me against these,
except Michael your prince.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭10:20-21‬

Prayer and fasting is the way,
we as humans, cut off the flesh,
and send our words up to God.
It’s our faithful endurance
that adds to the spiritual fight!
Let me ask you, Are You In? 
Do you have the Maranatha Cry?

Whether you want to admit it or not,
there are demons all around us.
And their only objective is to take us out
through all kinds of manipulation and lies.
Anything to be unfaithful to our God.

Did you know
that Satan has been given authority
to rule over this world.
And everything not lifted in it,
will go down with him!

“Jesus answered and said,
“Now is the judgment of this world;
now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all peoples to Myself.””
‭‭John‬ ‭12:30-32‬

“And you He made alive,
who were dead in trespasses
and sins, in which you once walked
according to the course of this world,
according to the prince
of the power of the air,
the spirit who now works
in the sons of disobedience,
among whom also
we all once conducted ourselves
in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath, just as the others.
But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of His great love
with which He loved us,
even when we were dead
in trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ,
by grace you have been saved,
and raised us up together,
and made us sit together
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
He might show the exceeding riches
of His grace in His kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved
through faith,
and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast.
For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:1-10
‬
And that my friend, is a mic drop!
What can I add to the Word of God?

Absolutely nothing!
All the answers to life are in it!

I praise God this morning
for breakfast in bed,
and giving me such delicious food.

SORROW
It's a feeling of deep distress
caused by loss, disappointment,
or other misfortunate events
suffered by oneself or other people.

It’s not an emotion
we would choose to have
if it were left up to human intent.
Mankind would definitely choose
to seize the day with no regrets.

If man could create a plan
on how to live their lives,
it definitely would not include
suffering, pain or death.
And yet, Jesus said,
“If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
For what profit is it to a man
if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:24-25

And then, Jesus revealed his coming death.
Listen to this -
“Now while they were staying
in Galilee, Jesus said to them,
“The Son of Man is about to be betrayed 
into the hands of men,
and they will kill Him,
and on the third day He will be raised up.”
And they were exceedingly sorrowful.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:22-23‬

Today, we would use the word “depressed” 
to describe what the disciples felt -
which, in my opinion,
would totally minimize the gut-wrenching
sorrow they felt. 
You seed, Matthew used the words
“exceedingly sorrowful” -
which embeds a deep distress
that cuts straight to the heart.

If you have ever experienced
the death of someone you love,
then you probably understand the pain involved.

If you ever did wrong to someone you love
then you probably understand the regret they had.

You see,
Jesus did not say
he was about to be betrayed
by one man - named Judas Iscariot.
He said he was about to be betrayed
and killed by many men who represented
the remnant nation of God’s covenant.

I bet the disciples knew what he meant
because Jesus consistently called
the religious leaders hypocrites.

You see,
Before humans could ever express
a disappointment with God,
we should look at what we have done
and realize it was us who broke His heart.

“Then the Lord God called to Adam and said,
“Where are you?”
Adam said, “I heard Your voice in the garden,
and I was afraid because I was naked;
and I hid myself.”
God said, “Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree of which
I commanded you not to eat from?
Then the man said,
“The woman whom You gave to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
And the Lord God said to the woman,
“What is this you have done?”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:9-13
‬
Right from the start, man had a rebellious heart.
The creation caused exceeding sorrow
to ebb inside their Creator.

But God is faithful.
He is not the adulterous one in the relationship.
And although he has cursed his union,
He did not walk away from his love. 
He found a way to forgive,
and He implanted His promise inside His bride.
He bore the Son of Man, and He sent His Word
into the world to defeat sin and death.

“So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast
of the field; On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:14-15‬

And the Son of God was born to the woman
who was impregnated with His Word.

A great sign appeared in heaven: 
a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet
and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 
She was pregnant and cried out in pain 
as she was about to give birth. 
Then another sign appeared in heaven: 
an enormous red dragon with seven heads 
and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 
Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky
and flung them to the earth. 
The dragon stood in front of the woman
who was about to give birth,
so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 
She gave birth to a son, a male child, who
“will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”
And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 
The woman fled into the wilderness
to a place prepared for her by God,
where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
Revelation 12:1-6

SORROW & JOY
are the way of the Lord.

“See, O Lord, that I am in distress;
My soul is troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
Outside the sword bereaves,
At home it is like death.
They have heard that I sigh,
But no one comforts me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
They are glad that You have done it.
Bring on the day You have announced,
That they may become like me.
“Let all their wickedness
come before You, And do to them
as You have done to me
For all my transgressions;
For my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1:18-22‬

This is the lamentation of a servants heart,
at least until the Day of the Lord.
We cry not for ourselves.
We cry for the ones who don’t know God.
We cry for the sorrow we have caused.

“The Son of Man
is about to be betrayed into the hands of men,
and they will kill Him, and the third day
He will be raised up.”

In the midst of sorrow, we sing for joy
because the third day has come
and Jesus sits at the right hand of God!
​The male child has been born.

Written 7/24/21

Three days ago,
I read about Jesus’s transfiguration
and I received great Illumination.
One of the things
that Holy Spirit showed me
was the important witness
of Elijah and Moses.

Two spiritual beings,
who used to be human,
and acted as messengers of God,
stood with the God's beloved Son
and had a conversation.

And all the while, 
three men watched them.
Peter, James and John
were led by Jesus to the top of the mountain
to witness His transfiguration.

So let me ask you,
What do you think of
when you hear the word, witnesses?

Well, I first noticed
there is more than one.

Let’s observe.

A witness is a person who gives testimony
to a fact or event.
They are the ones who can point to the truth;
A witness is a person who is able to attest
that an act has taken place.
They are the ones who can show proof.
And two witnesses are better than one.
They strengthen each other to give an accord.
Two witnesses is really the bare minimum.
Now just imagine having three or more!

“And though a man might prevail against him
who is alone, two will withstand him.
But a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:12

Well, Jesus had five!
Two who returned from the heavenly realm,
and three who stood on sacred ground.

Did you know that Jesus always sent
two witnesses out to two by two?
This was established a long time ago,
back in the Book of Deuteronomy.

“A single witness shall not suffice
against a person for any crime
or for any wrong in connection
with any offense that he has committed.
Only on the evidence of two witnesses
or of three witnesses
shall a charge be established.”
Deuteronomy 19:15

“Calling the Twelve to him,
he began to send them out
two by two
and gave them authority
over impure spirits.”
Mark 6:7

“Then the Lord chose
seventy-two other disciples
and sent them ahead in pairs
to all the towns and places
he planned to go.”
Luke 10:1

And we know,
“Where two or three gather in my name,
there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:20

The idea of having
at least two witnesses
is not a time of old,
the beloved John
wrote about two witnesses
during the second wow.

“I will appoint my two witnesses,
and they will prophesy
for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
They are “the two olive trees”
and the two lampstands,
and “they stand before
the Lord of the earth.”
If anyone tries to harm them,
fire comes from their mouths
and devours their enemies.
This is how anyone
who wants to harm them must die.
They have power
to shut up the heavens
so that it will not rain
during the time they are prophesying;
and they have power
to turn the waters into blood
and to strike the earth
with every kind of plague
as often as they want.
Now when they have finished
their testimony,
the beast that comes
up from the Abyss will attack them,
and overpower and kill them.
Their bodies will lie
in the public square of the great city-
which is figuratively
called Sodom and Egypt -
where also their Lord was crucified.
For three and a half days
some from every people,
tribe, language and nation
will gaze on their bodies
and refuse them burial.
The inhabitants of the earth
will gloat over them
and will celebrate by sending
each other gifts,
because these two prophets
had tormented those
who live on the earth.
But after the three and a half days
the breath of life
from God entered them,
and they stood on their feet,
and terror struck those who saw them.
Then they heard a loud voice
from heaven saying to them,
“Come up here.”
And they went up to heaven
in a cloud,
while their enemies looked on.
At that very hour
there was a severe earthquake
and a tenth of the city collapsed.
Seven thousand people
were killed in the earthquake,
and the survivors were terrified
and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe has passed;
the third woe is coming soon.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭11:1-14‬

When thinking about witnesses
I often think of
the judicial branch of government
where judges and juries
listen to the evidence
that a prosecutor and defender
present about the offensive act -
and the person attached to it.

We should not be so ignorant
to think that God acts alone.
I mean His whole being contains
three persons in one.
Its crazy to think that our
all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign God
refers to someone when he created
his most intimate expression, humans.

Genesis says,
“Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness.”

And just like earth,
Heaven has a Supreme court
and governing body that rules over it.
It’s not an inanimate place.

“God takes a stand
in the divine council,
gives judgment in the midst of the gods.
“How long will you judge unjustly
and favor the cause of the wicked?
“Defend the lowly and fatherless;
render justice to the afflicted and needy.
Rescue the lowly and poor;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
The gods neither know nor understand,
wandering about in darkness,
and all the world’s foundations shake.
I declare:
“Gods though you be,
offspring of the Most High all of you,
Yet like any mortal you shall die;
like any prince you shall fall.”
Arise, O God, judge the earth,
for yours are all the nations.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭82:1-8
‬
“Thrones were set up
and the Ancient of Days took his throne.
His clothing was white as snow,
the hair on his head like pure wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A river of fire surged forth,
flowing from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands
were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads
stood before him.
The court was convened,
and the books were opened.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭7:9-10‬

“But when the court is convened,
and his dominion is taken away
to be abolished
and completely destroyed,
Then the kingship and dominion
and majesty of all the kingdoms
under the heavens
shall be given to the people
of the holy ones of the Most High,
Whose kingship shall be
an everlasting kingship,
whom all dominions shall serve and obey.”
This is the end of the report.
I, Daniel, was greatly terrified
by my thoughts,
and my face became pale,
but I kept the matter to myself.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭7:26-28‬

You see, for some reason,
the Lord is still allowing Satan
access to the Heavenly court.
I guess it’s his job -
because God uses all things for his glory.
Satan is the prosecuting attorney.
He is the accuser of the brethren.
But his time is limited.

Paul said to the Thessalonians,
“Do you not remember
that when I was still with you
I told you these things?
And now you know what is restraining,
that he may be revealed
in his own time.
For the mystery of lawlessness
is already at work;
only He who now restrains will do so
until He is taken out of the way.
And then the lawless one
will be revealed,
whom the Lord will consume
with the breath of His mouth
and destroy with the brightness
of His coming.
The coming of the lawless one
is according to the working of Satan,
with all power, signs,
and lying wonders,
and with all unrighteous deception
among those who perish,
because they did not receive
the love of the truth,
that they might be saved.
And for this reason
God will send them strong delusion,
that they should believe the lie,
that they all may be condemned
who did not believe the truth
but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
‭‭II Thessalonians‬ ‭2:5-12‬

And beloved John said,
“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.
For the accuser of the brethren
is cast out, he who accuses them
before our God day and night.
They conquered him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them.
But woe to you, earth and sea,
for the Devil has come down to you
in great fury,
for he knows he has but a short time.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:10-12‬

You see, our God is good!
Everything in Heaven
and on earth will be renewed
at the appointed time.

When there are enough witnesses
who testify to the blood of Jesus,
the prosecuting attorney
will have no evidence to build a case,
and that is when he will be cast out
of the Supreme Court in Heaven -
but…it’s still not good for humans!
Because Satan will be furious
and a lot of death and destruction will come.

I am still walking through 
these spiritual concepts and passages.
Please take my interpretation
with a grain of salt.
Focus on the Word yourself
and follow the leading of Holy Spirit.
He is the only person who can,
and should reveal,
all aspects of God it to us.
But I do know this -
Everything should point to Jesus!

Written 7-23-21
​
Hey You - come a closer.
I need to tell you
about the purpose God has for you!

It starts with God -
through His image in Jesus,
and it ends with the illumination
of the Holy Spirit.

I know it's sounds strange,
but come and explore.

Yesterday, in the poem I wrote called Pure Love,
I introduced You to God, in the name of Love.
It’s not a name we typically use for Him.
It’s usually an adjective used to describe Him.
Yesterday morning, the truth was illuminated -
God Is Love.
And Jesus Is God’s beloved Son,
the full manifestation of God’s Word!
His purest reflection of God himself!

Oh, did I not tell you - two days ago,
while reading Matthew 17,
Holy Spirit gave me Great Illumination
when I witnessed Jesus’s transfiguration!
Go back and read it, if you already haven't!

I saw His body transformed
into a radiant light;
and I observed the most magnificent Son-light!
Jesus broke the day from the night!
I saw the glory of the Lord,
and it left me in awe!
At the time, all I could do
was fall flat of my face,
fully submitted on the ground.

I mean what can a person do
when they have experienced
the fullness of God?
There is no other way to respond!

Well, a day passed, and I read it again,
and then I started to write
about the transformation of tents,
but all I saw was God’s reflection!

You see,
The Holy Spirit communicated to me,
“the transfiguration of Jesus
is not about the transformation of tents -
it’s about God’s love
which came in the purest form!

“He who does not love
does not know God,
for God is love.”
‭‭I John‬ ‭4:8‬

God was so close.
He shined right down
on Jesus’s face.
And for a moment in time,
on a mountainous high place,
God reflected off
the purest thing on the earth.
God reflected off of Himself!

His light shined up.
His light shined down.
His light shined in.
His light shined out.
He light shined all around.
His light separated the day and night,
and I was shown
The Morning Star!

Oh sweet Spirit of God -
You are the way, the truth and the life!
You are my guiding light!
Thank you for showing me
“the root and the descendant of David,
the bright morning star”
Revelation 22:16

This is the second time
you have shown yourself, and you are
the most magnificent light I have ever seen.

The scripture says,
“As the men watched,
Jesus’ appearance was transformed
so that his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became
as white as light.”

Well, this passage
does not even come close to doing it justice!
It hardly contains the fullness of what happened.
I can’t even imagine
how Peter, James and John responded!
The scripture says,
“When the disciples heard this,
they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
But Jesus came and touched them.
“Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”
When they looked up,
they saw no one except Jesus.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:6-8‬

You see,
nothing could contain Him!
Not His clothes nor His body.
His whole reflection
illuminated God’s glory!
Now listen to me.
This is the message I have been given.
God is both light and love.
In fact, they are United.
They are one in the same.

“God is light
and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have
fellowship with God,
and walk in darkness,
we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light
as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus,
Christ His Son,
cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned,
we make Him a liar,
and His word is not in us.”
‭‭I John‬ ‭1:5-10‬

We are all sinners, through and through.
Without Jesus,
the bright and morning star,
the purest version of God’s love,
we live in a dark, dark world.
And that’s not good!

You must be careful!
“Do not love the world
or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world -
the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life -
is not of the Father
but is of the world.
And the world is passing away,
and the lust of it;
but he who does the will of God
abides forever.”
‭‭I John‬ ‭2:15-17‬

I implore you-
Don’t be misled!
Don’t love the creation
more than you love God!
Don’t trust your gut!
Don’t trust your thoughts!
And whatever you do,
do not trust your heart!
The heart is
the most deceitful thing of all!
“The heart is deceitful
above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?”
‭‭Jeremiah 17:9

Trust the truth, the way and the life!
Trust the Creator of both life and death!
Trust Jesus!
He is the only Son of God
that has reflected
the purest form of love - God himself!

Don’t trust the stars
or the moon or the sun!
Don’t trust idols or other gods!

Trust the One who God calls Jesus
His beloved Son!

Listen to me.
I have been called
not only to encourage you,
but to give you warning!
The clock is ticking!
Time is running out!
“Walk in the way of love,
just as Christ loved us
and gave himself up for us
as a fragrant offering
and sacrifice to God.”

You see, love is not about us!
Love has nothing do
with our needs or wants.
Love is about sacrifice
and unconditional forgiveness!

“Do not judge,
and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn,
and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:37‬

“And when you stand praying,
if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them,
so that your Father in heaven
may forgive you your sins.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:25‬

Believe me, I get it!
I was once full of darkness,
but now I am light in the Lord.
Now I live as a child of light
and I find out what pleases the Lord.
I try very hard
to have nothing to do with
the fruitless deeds of darkness,
but rather I expose them.

I know it is shameful
even to mention
what the disobedient do in secret.
I am still a work in progress!

But I believe that everything
exposed by the light becomes visible -
and everything that is illuminated
becomes a light.

​It is time!
Pay attention to my words -
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
“But be very careful how you live -
be wise and make the most
of every opportunity,
because the days are evil.”
“Do not be foolish,
but understand
what the Lord’s will is.
Be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another
with psalms, hymns, and songs
from the Spirit.
Sing and make music
from your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks
to God the Father
for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:8-20‬

My friends,
if you have been called
to read these poems,
then know that God
is doing a work in YOU!

You must know and understand -
“This is the last hour!”
There is little time to spare!
“You have heard
that the antichrist is coming -
in fact, many antichrists have come.
This is how we know
that time is running out!

Listen up -
“whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ
is the antichrist.”

For many of us -
that is family, friends and neighbors!
We don’t have to look too far
to notice the antichrist spirit.
It’s not just in our government.
It’s in our own homes!
We must disband it!

I am here to encourage you.
Now get up and stand on your feet.
You are being sent
into the a world of darkness!
You are an appointed servant.
God is sending you
out into the world of darkness
to open the eyes of humans
so they can turn
from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to God,
so that they may receive
forgiveness of sins
and a place among those
who are sanctified by faith in Jesus.
‭‭Acts‬ ‭26:16-18‬

Yesterday, while reading about
the transfiguration of Jesus,
in Matthew Chapter 17,
I saw the transformation of tents.

The scripture says,
“As the men watched,
Jesus’ appearance was transformed
so that his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became
as white as light.”

“A bright cloud overshadowed them,
and a voice from the cloud said,
“This is my dearly loved Son,
who brings me great joy.
Listen to him.”

Let me ask,
“Did you see the glorious light
pouring out of Him?”
He was like a rising sun
coming over a mountain
and spilling out over the land.
Just like the breaking dawn!
And did you hear the Voice of God
identify Jesus as His Son?
Did you hear God give
all authority to Him?
It’s absolutely amazing
and humbling at the same time.

In an instant,
Jesus was transformed
from a physical tent
to His true spiritual essence.
His body was limited.

It diminished His full potential,
and yet, it was created
to fulfill God’s purpose.

You see,
our Creator took on flesh
so that He could use His own blood
to cover our transgressions.
Only God
could break the curse
that He spoke over us
as told in the third chapter of Genesis.
And because God loves us much,
He made a way to redeem mankind
by creating a faithful remnant,
a kingdom of priests
who would unconditionally
and unequivocally love Him.

You see,
The purpose for man
has never changed.
It’s always been the same -
to live according to God’s blessing,
"Then God blessed them and said,
“Be fruitful and multiply.
Fill the earth and subdue it.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:27-28‬

And His command is this,
“The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
You must love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
all your soul,
all your mind,
and all your strength.’
The second is equally important:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
No other commandment
is greater than these.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭12:29-31‬

Because…
“If I could speak all the languages
of earth and of angels,
but didn’t love others,
I would only be a noisy gong
or a clanging cymbal.
If I had the gift of prophecy,
and if I understood
all of God’s secret plans
and possessed all knowledge,
and if I had such faith
that I could move mountains,
but didn’t love others,
I would be nothing.”
“If I gave everything I have
to the poor
and even sacrificed my body,
I could boast about it;
but if I didn’t love others,
I would have gained nothing.”
“Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful
or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable,
and it keeps no record
of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice
but rejoices whenever
the truth wins out.
Love never gives up,
never loses faith,
is always hopeful, and endures
through every circumstance.”
“Prophecy and speaking
in unknown languages
and special knowledge
will become useless.
But love will last forever!”
“Now our knowledge
is partial and incomplete,
and even the gift of prophecy
reveals only part
of the whole picture!”
“But when the time of perfection comes,
these partial things will become useless.”
“When I was a child,
I spoke and thought
and reasoned as a child.
But when I grew up,
I put away childish things.
Now we see things imperfectly,
like puzzling reflections in a mirror,
but then we will see everything
with perfect clarity.
All that I know now is partial
and incomplete,
but then I will know
everything completely,
just as God now knows me completely.”
“Three things will last forever -
faith, hope, and love -
and the greatest of these is love.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:1-13‬

Since I am under the Winepress,
let me express - I don’t know much,
but I do know this…
these tents
that we currently live in,
will fade away.
One day, we will die
and be born again.
What I mean is,
those who love God
and each other,
will be resurrected to new life
to live with Him.

You see,
we cannot truly love ourselves or others,
until we love God.

We cannot truly love
unless we understand and truly believe
that our current condition is just temporary.

If we understand and believe
that Heaven and Earth
are condemned for fatality,
then we will see
“God so loved the world:
He gave his one and only Son,
so that everyone
who believes in him
will not perish but have eternal life.”

​You see,
“God sent his Son into the world
not to judge the world,
but to save the world through him.”
“There is no judgment
against anyone who believes in him.
But anyone who does not
believe in him
has already been judged
for not believing
in God’s one and only Son.
And the judgment is based
on this fact: God’s light
came into the world,
but people loved the darkness
more than the light,
for their actions were evil.”
“All who do evil hate the light
and refuse to go near it
for fear their sins will be exposed.
But those who do what is right
come to the light
so others can see
that they are doing
what God wants.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3:16-21‬

Can you see it?
Do you understand?
We are already dead
even though we live!
But this body that we live in
is just a tent.
It’s temporary and conditional.
One day, we will rise
and stand before the Judge
who knows the intent of our heart!

When I first started this poem
I thought I would focus
on the transformation of tents,
but Holy Spirit took me
to a deeper place -
He showed me HOW
the tent is transformed!

He showed me that His light
is pure love,
and now He is showing me
how to express it.
Did you know,
“There is no greater love
than to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends.
You are my friends
if you do what I command.”
John 15:13

Did you know that you did not choose Christ?
He chose you!

“You didn’t choose me.
I chose you.
I appointed you
to go and produce lasting fruit,
so that the Father will give you
whatever you ask for,
using my name.
This is my command:
Love each other.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:16-17
‬
So, “Be fruitful and multiply.
Fill the earth and subdue it.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:27-28‬

Humans are not
supposed to dominate humans
through power and control.
We are equals.

Humans are to
subdue the earth and govern over it.
We do this as benevolent leaders, just like Jesus.

But I exhort you,
to be on the lookout!
The devil is like a lion roaring about!
But God has said that He plans
to make a new Heaven and a new earth
as he revealed to John!
And this time,
He won’t be sending
Jesus, the sacrificial lamb,
to express His love.
He’ll be sending
Jesus, the Lion of Judah,
to exercise His wrath!

This morning before getting out of bed
I had a mountaintop experience.
I saw a light that shined so bright
it broke the darkness in half.
It was the transfiguration of Jesus!

“In the beginning 
God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was formless and empty,
and darkness covered the deep waters.
And the Spirit of God
was hovering over
the surface of the waters.
Then God said,
“Let there be light,”
and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good.”
Then he separated
the light from the darkness.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:1-5

“In the beginning
the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life
to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:1-5‬

This morning,
my heart completely changed,
it became even more awe-struck!
It’s amazing how abundantly
the Word of God can increase our faith!
You see, I read Matthew 16
and saw, this time, with spiritual eyes,
the transfiguration of Jesus -
and it was the most beautiful thing 
I have ever seen!
Aside from the Boardwalk Vision
He gave me in 2016,
it was the most amazing thing
I have ever experienced.
And both visions included Jesus

You see,
My eyes were cleansed.
I felt a heavy film
slide right off of them.
The haze - it dissipated,
and I was given clear vision.

Come - let me show you what I saw.
Close your eyes
and get ready to reopen them.
Take a deep breath
and prepare your heart to receive Him.
When you are ready to walk with me,
Open your spiritual eyes so that you can see!
Are your ready?
On the count of three - 1, 2…3

“Six days passed since Jesus”
told his disciples
that He must go to Jerusalem
to be captured and killed
so that he could rise again.
And then,
“Jesus took Peter
and the two brothers,
James and John, and led them
up a high mountain to be alone.”
“As the men watched,
Jesus’ appearance was transformed
so that his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became
as white as light.”
“Suddenly,
Moses and Elijah appeared
and began talking with Jesus.”
Peter exclaimed,
“Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here!
If you want, I’ll make three shelters
as memorials - one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
“But even as he spoke,
a bright cloud overshadowed them,
and a voice from the cloud said,
“This is my dearly loved Son,
who brings me great joy.
Listen to him.”
“The disciples were terrified
and fell face down on the ground.”
“Then Jesus came over
and touched them.
“Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”
“And when they looked up,
Moses and Elijah were gone,
and they saw only Jesus.”
As they went back
down the mountain,
Jesus commanded them,
“Don’t tell anyone what you have seen
until the Son of Man
has been raised from the dead.”
Then his disciples asked him,
“Why do the teachers
of religious law
insist that Elijah must return
before the Messiah comes?”
Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed
coming first to get everything ready.
But I tell you, Elijah has already come,
but he wasn’t recognized,
and they chose to abuse him.
And in the same way
they will also make
the Son of Man suffer.”
“Then the disciples realized
he was talking about
John the Baptist.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:1-13‬

I have so much to share
about this illumination.
I saw and heard
Elijah’s announcement,
I encountered the transformation of tents.
I came face to face with the Ancient One
and I beheld the two end-time witnesses.

How much more can a person ask for?
What is better than the glory of the Lord?
Oh…what a sweet pleasure!
The night broke, and Holy Spirit
gave me great illumination into God’s Word.

I can’t even speak.
I just need to fall on my face
and bask in the presence of the Son.

I invite you to come before His throne
​and share in His glorification.

From the day that Jesus
asked his disciples
who they thought that he was,
and Simon Peter answered,
“You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God,”
Jesus began to show His disciples
that He MUST go to Jerusalem.
Matthew 16:13-16

Jesus explained that he would suffer
a great many things
at the hands of the scribes,
elders and the chief priests -
this has to be the
“terrible baptism of suffering”
He talked about in Luke Chapter 12 -
to be condemned by the nation
that His father set apart!
‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:50‬

Jesus told them
he was going to be killed,
but would raise again,
on the third day -
just as he had promised
when the Pharisees
and Sadducees came,
and asked for a sign from heaven 
to prove who He was -
and Jesus responded
“Only an evil, adulterous generation
would demand a miraculous sign,
but the only sign I will give
is the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:4‬

While Peter was the disciple
who had connected the dots
and identified right away
that Jesus was
the Son of the living God,
he was still the stubborn man
who had a rock head!

Soon after Jesus told his disciples
that he would be killed,
Peter stepped in
and rebuked what he said!
“Peter took him aside
and began to reprimand him
for saying such things.
“Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said.
“This will never happen to you!”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:22‬

But Jesus turned to Peter and said,
“Get behind Me, Satan!
You are an offense to Me,
for you are not mindful
of the things of God,
but the things of men.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:21-23‬

You see, Peter was so intent
on saving Jesus’s life,
that he did not understand,
through His death,
Jesus came to save
the life of men.

“This is my blood,
which confirms the covenant
between God and his people.
It is poured out as a sacrifice
to forgive the sins of many.
Mark my words -
I will not drink wine again
until the day I drink it new
with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26:28-29‬

We have to discern
by listening and paying attention
to what the Word of God says.
We must not take
the Father’s Word in vain
by only listening to half of what He says.

Jesus had told the unbelievers,
“the religious leaders”
in front of His disciples,
which includes Peter,
that Jonah the prophet
was the sign he would give them 
from Heaven.
If they had been listening
with pure and faithful hearts,
they would have known
that Jonah went into the whale,
and three days later came out.
They would have understood
that Jonah was sent on a mission by God,
to save an evil, adulterous generation
from destruction and eternal death.

And yet,
Peter thought that he knew best
when he rebuked the words of death
that came out of Jesus’s mouth.
He did not realize
he was acting in opposition.

I’m sure Peter thought,
like most of us do today,
“don’t speak death over your life
because Satan can hear what you say.”

This is the same response
in the days of old,
when the prophets spoke words of death
that were truly from God himself!

The leaders didn’t want to hear
about the destruction coming their way.
They preferred to focus
on living for the NOW, and seizing the day!

It’s crazy to think
how many of us today,
want to live and respond
in the same way.

Thank God, Jesus knew
what He had to do,
and did not let anyone
stop him from fulfilling
the Will of God!

I mean...He is the Word of God, is He not?

Sometimes we have to stop
trying to step in and save the day.
Sometimes we just
have to get out of God’s way,
​and trust that God is God
and He is doing things His own Way!

To be a student of Jesus
and follow the leading
of the Holy Spirit
under the authority
of the Father in Heaven
requires us to tear off the flesh -
and that, my friend, can be quite hard!

What do you do
when everything in you
goes against God?

How do you respond
when He says “No!”
but you want to do it anyway?

Do not be angry!
Do not lust!
Forgive others even when
they have broken your heart!
Swallow your pride!
Turn the other check.
Do not worry about anything.

Stop looking at the sin of another person
and start paying attention
to the log in your own eye!

In verse 24 of Matthew 16,
after telling his disciples that he must die,
and cursing out Peter and casting him aside,
Jesus said,
“If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whoever desires to save his life
will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake
will find it.”

So you may be wondering,
like I once did,
“What in the world is Jesus talking about?

“What does Jesus mean by 
“let him deny himself,
and take up his cross and follow Me?”

Well, let me direct you
to verses 16-26 in Galatians 5,
where Paul talks to
the people of Galatia
about walking in the Spirit
and tearing off the flesh.

He said to them,
“Walk in the Spirit,
and you shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
and these are contrary to one another,
so that you do not do the things
that you wish.
But if you are led by the Spirit,
you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh
are evident, which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness,
lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred,
contentions, jealousies,
outbursts of wrath,
selfish ambitions, dissensions,
heresies, envy, murders,
drunkenness, revelries, and the like;
of which I tell you beforehand,
just as I also told you in time past,
that those who practice such things
will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

You see,
the flesh desires what it wants!
The flesh desires the things
that are in opposition to God.
The flesh wants its own way
and does not want to give in.
The flesh desires to be like God -
it wants to be superior
over both God and men.
The flesh does not like to be tested.
The flesh does not want God
to see the intent of it’s heart.
The flesh prefers to hide
behind deceit and pride, and shame and doubt.
And the flesh prefers to point and blame
instead of giving an account.
The flesh looks a lot like the SELF.
Self Gratification, Self Love
Self Hatred, Self Concept

The flesh is the SELF -
a human being
who is the object
of its own reflective consciousness,
instead of reflecting
the image of Christ.

Jesus said,
“If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himSELF
and take up “his” cross,
and follow Me.”

I ask you,
What do you think Jesus means?
What cross is He talking about?

Perhaps we all have a cross to bear?

I leave you with this -
“Those who are Christ’s
have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let us not become conceited,
provoking one another,
or envying one another.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:24-26‬