Tag Archives: worship

Sinner’s Prayer

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Christianity, Disciple, Discipleship, Excellence, Faithful, LifeGiving, Mandate, Mature, Maturing, Message, Mission, Movement, Revolution, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Teamwork, Training, Transformation

I am not sure when the sinner’s prayer became the focus of a person receiving God’s free gift of eternal life that exists only in the Person of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, but I think I may know where the “If you believe with all your heart” derived from.

That statement is found in an encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch as the eunuch traveled from Jerusalem where he had come to worship. We find the story in Acts 8:25-40.

Philip had just seen the city of Samaria transformed by his ministry and instead of being allowed to rest on the success of his ministry and enjoy the harvest of souls there he was directed by the Holy Spirit to go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza. As he traveled on that road he saw the eunuch and the Spirit said to him, “Go up and join this chariot,” so Philip ran until he caught up with the chariot where he heard the eunuch reading in the Book of Isaiah what we know to be chapter fifty-three, verses seven and eight. The original texts of the Bible do not have chapters, verses, or even punctuation marks.

Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading.

You do not have to ask complicated questions to lead someone to Jesus. Sometimes a simple question opens the door to leading someone to and through the One who said He was the door. The eunuch replied, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” He then invited Philip up into the chariot to sit with him where he asked Philip who was Isaiah referring to, himself or someone else. This whole story is filled with extraordinary insights.

Philip began to expound on the text the eunuch was reading and obviously perplexed by, and beginning from that text Philip preached Jesus to him.

It was at this point the enuch saw water and askd Philip if anything prevented him from being baptized, which leads me to believe Philip included in his “sermon” the necessity of baptism in the salvation experience of the eunuch. This is where Philip makes the famous statement, “If you believe with all your heart, you may [be baptized].

It is interesting the text does not say the eunuch prayed asking Jesus to come into his heart. It says he declared, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” In essence he declared he believed God raised Jesus from the dead and confessed to Philip Jesus was Lord, meaning he was surrendering his life to Jesus’ lordship.

The chariot was ordered to stop and Philip baptized the eunuch right then.

Here are two questions I would like you to consider as it pertains to the “If you believe with all of your heart” statement.

1. Is your whole heart in this or are you holding out a part of your heart?

2. Are there portions of your heart you are keeping for yourself, or someone else?

If you are hanging on to something or someone that is more important to you than Jesus then that which you hang onto will hang you.

Ask Judas!

Judas believed in Jesus! Judas followed Jesus! Judas even walked in miraculous ministry with Jesus! But what he refused to surrender to Jesus eventually hung him.

Friend, did you say the sinner’s prayer meaning it with all your heart or did you mouth the words while hiding something or someone in your heart?

If you did then it is time you surrendered all of your heart to the Lordship of Jesus. If you don’t then Jesus is not the Lord of all of you, and if He is not Lord of all He is not Lord at all, to you!

Receive and steward God’s passion, power, presence, priority, process, promises, protection, provision, pruning, purging, purity and purpose!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin
A spiritual revolutionary

 

 

The Blood or the Boondoggle

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Disciple, Discipleship, Excellence, faith, LifeGiving, maturity, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, teaching, Training

There is a move afoot within certain segments of Christianity that gives intellectual, emotional and material support to something that is very grievous to God. This move is a counterfeit move to genuine moves of God.

That move is the reconstitution of the Law, Levitical priesthood and the animal sacrifices associated with it.

Christians who offer support for this move on any level are in danger of trampling underfoot the blood of Jesus. Christians need to take a serious look at their loyalty to the One who shed His blood to redeem them from sin, and a senseless religious culture that has no life in it.

Hebrews 10

“1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; 6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have taken no pleasure. 7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.’ ” 8 After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have not desired, nor have you taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

This text is just one of many in the New Testament that prove that the only blood that has ever counted in the court room of God’s Department of Justice is the blood of Jesus. Notice what Jesus is quoted as saying.

  • “Sacrifice and offering [of animals] You [Father] have not desired”
  • “A [human] body You [Father] have prepared for Me”
  • “You [Father] have taken no pleasure in whole burnt offerings and [animal] sacrifices for sin”
  • “You [Father] have not desired or taken pleasure in the Law’s requirement to sacrifice animals”
  • “[Father] I have come to do Your will”

The writer of Hebrews makes these stark statements:

  • “The Law was only a shadow”
  • “The Law was not the good things to come [future of when the Law was given]”
  • “The Law is not the form [image, likeness] of things [to come]”
  • “The Law can never make something or someone perfect”
    • Which infers what, or who was to come would make things perfect
  • “The Law kept the worshiper conscious of sin”
  • “The Law reminds the worshiper they are a sinner”
  • “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins”
  • “Therefore when He comes into the world”
    • Inferring a Perfect One was coming into the world
  • “He [the Perfect One coming into the world] would take away the first [lifeless Law] in order to establish [set in permanently] the second”
    • The second is the sacrifice of Jesus’s body [blood] once for all

Jesus is called the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. When He came into the world it was to bring into time that which was instituted in eternity past. The “once for all” statement is referring to the eternal aspect of His bodily sacrifice that manifested in time nearly 2,000 years ago. This truth tells us that the Law, the Levitical priesthood and all the animal sacrifices point people to an eternal past, present and future reality.

The Law, Levitical priesthood and all the animal sacrifices were a sign to a past decision that was going to manifest in a future time in the fulness of time. When the fulness of time came, as per God’s timing, Jesus entered the world as a human being to lay down His life as the life giving Lamb of God.

To reinstitute the Law, Levitical priesthood and the animal sacrifices associated with them is an affront to God the Father, the Cross and blood of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit by which Christ was sanctified to God. You cannot hold onto the resurrected Christ and hold onto a dead religious system. You must choose Christ or Judaism!

Hebrews 9

“11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

The writer of Hebrews states in this text:

  • Jesus appears as a high priest
    • In other texts this is explained in more detail
  • Jesus entered through a greater and more perfect tabernacle
    • This tabernacle was not made with human hands
      • This speaks both of the heavenly tabernacle that was the model for the tabernacle of Moses and the temple David wanted to build
      • It also speaks of the human body [temple] that God used to tabernacle with man through Jesus
        • Man did not build either of those tabernacles
    • This tabernacle is not of this [natural] creation
  • The blood of animals and the ashes of heifers are inferior to the blood of Christ
  • Those can never cleanse the conscience from dead works
  • Jesus shed His own blood to sanctify believers
  • Jesus offered Himself without blemish through the eternal Spirit
    • This qualified Him to be the Lamb slain to pay for all sin
    • Jesus’ offering is the only offering to clean a conscience from dead [worthless and lifeless] works
    • Jesus’ offering is the only offering where we can serve the living God

Why on earth are Christians supporting this failed religious system? They are either deceived or they have deserted Christ. Neither of those options are good.

With all the compassion I have I warn you to stay away from anyone who is providing support for the heresy of Jewish religious worship. There is no life in it and it will disqualify you from the life that is in Christ Jesus.

The Book of Hebrews was written to exalt Christ and dethrone Jewish worship. I encourage you to take the time to read this great Book. Read it slowly and pay attention to the warnings along with the exaltation of Jesus Christ.

Look at the early warning statements given by the writer of Hebrews.

  • 2:1 – “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard”
  • 2:1 – “so that we do not drift away from it”
  • 2:3 – “how will we escape”
  • 2:3 – “if we neglect so great a salvation”
  • 3:6 – “whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end”
  • 3:8 – “Do not harden your hearts”
  • 3:12 – “Take care, brethren”
  • 3:12 – “that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God”

The writer of Hebrews continues throughout his epistle giving warning to his readers to remain loyal to Christ and run from those who were trying to draw them back under the boondoggle of Judaism.

And now those of you who read this blog are warned. Is it Christ or compromise?

Keep HIS Faith! Keep HIS Passion! Keep HIS Purpose!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin

A Hisstorymaker

 

 

 

 

Seeker Sensitive – ism!

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Hard Work, LifeGiving, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Teamwork, Training

How many seeker church services have been commandeered by the Commander and Chief of the Church, and gone longer than the hour they allot for Him to work in their midst?

Short segments of “worship” and crafty sermonette’s create short attention spans!

“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord” are for those who only climb hills that are more like speed bumps in their road to the rest of their lives.

When it takes longer to drive to church, park and enter the sanctuary than it does for the service you came to participate in one should wonder if it is worth the time. Unless the purpose of attending is not connecting to the Presence of the Person they are supposed to worship but the people who may help them in their “real” “life” connections.

Seeker leaders think they must shrink their services because their people have short attention spans.

Do they not realize they are creating a people who cannot focus for very long, and are catering to people who do not want to focus for very long?

What I hear them saying when they talk to me is, “My congregation is made up of children [immature people].” They don’t actually say that but that is what they are actually saying!

Their solution is short sessions. Using illustrative sermons much like a kid’s Sunday School lesson, they build props to prop up their lack of revelation in the Word.

Using “people are visual learners” they fall for the Madison Avenue method of marketing the messages they bring week in and week out, never understanding they are causing the Body to be weak, week after week.

“Meat is for the mature” never crosses their mind because to serve meat would require more time to digest. And time is not a commodity they trade in.

Seeker services are like a fast food restaurant.

“You know, we have to move this group out and get the next group in” is the mindset of the mindless.

Many act as if noon is the bewitching hour so lets move along because we’ve got lunch to consume. It makes me wonder if “their god is their belly” is applicable!

Unfortunately, numbers of attenders instead of the maturity of believers is a core value!

Serving food [a sermon] that is primarily pre-packaged [written by some sermon writer] that they have paid to access, they rarely access heaven to release fresh revelation. Left overs are constantly on the menu!

How do saints fall for the seeker sensitive model?

I have attended 3 seeker sensitive services. The longest I could stomach was 3 minutes! Within minutes I realized that what was being offered was not His Presence but “my program.”

I don’t have time for that!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin

A Hisstorymaker

Globalism and False Worship!

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Excellence, LifeGiving, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Training

Globalism, as it is being positioned, provided for and promoted today, is the tower of Babel poor substitute for the Kingdom of God in the earth and it’s King’s rule on earth.

Globalism, Judaism and Christian Zionism come from the same spirit where a centralized government rules the population on the planet.

Globalism wants to rule the world from Brussels, Belgium where the European Union is located, or possibly from the United Nations in New York!

Judaism and Christian Zionism postulates Jerusalem as THE place where God will rule the world.

Both of these “positions” are false and create a false worship among their followers!

Liberals support globalism because it leads to centralized power, thereby providing liberals with an easier way to gain control. It is far easier for liberals to persuade a handful of people in centralized government to rule in their favor than it is for liberals to push their agenda on a decentralized form of government.

According to the Oxford American Dictionary, globalism is the advocacy of “the interpretation or planning of economic and foreign policy in relation to events and developments throughout the world.” In its most extreme forms it is sometimes expressed using terms such as “one world,” support for a single world government, and/or terms such as “world citizen” or “global citizen.” Some globalist groups such as the World Federalist Movement, and some non-Christian religions such as Bahai, actively campaign for world government. “Global” is a currently fashionable term in business, where the term “international” would be more appropriate usage; the term “international” implies business operations between a few countries, while “global” implies worldwide business, making it an adequate term for some forms of business that do operate across the world. Many aspects of globalism fall under the umbrella of globalization, which refers to how local phenomena can become global phenomena.

http://www.conservapedia.com/Globalism

Jesus, the King of God’s Kingdom, rules over the nations of the earth right now, and these nations have distinct boundaries from heaven’s perspective.

“24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands . . . 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist.” [Acts 17]

Imagine that, God is into boundaries [borders]!

And, God determined and appointed the boundaries every person is to live within, including the time they live!

John in the Book of Revelation said this in chapter 7, “9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, ‘Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.'”

God is even into the distinctions that each and every person and culture possesses. God is into unity, not uniformity!

For those who think Jesus MUST return to earth to BEGIN his rule I have a text for you to ponder.

“20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” [1 Corinthians 15]

This is just one text that can be used to prove that Christ is ruling and reigning at this very moment and has been since He was raised from the dead and ascended into the realm  [dimension] called heaven.

Jesus will not begin His reign when He returns! When He returns He hands over the “reigns” of His reign to His Father!

Jesus, as I taught in my Jesus and Jerusalem series which began in October of 2013, said this that so many have missed ~

“21 Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’” [John 4]

Jesus reduced the importance of a specific place [Samaria and Jerusalem] to worship the Father and elevated the way to worship the Father [in spirit [no geographical boundaries and limitations] and truth [no deceptive agendas].

Jesus tells the woman He was speaking to:

  1. “An hour is coming when neither on this mountain [in Samaria] nor in Jerusalem will you [the woman] worship the Father.”
    1. Jesus spoke of an imminent change of reality in the place, posture and purpose of worshiping the Father!
    2. Jesus spoke of ignorance in worship!
  2. “An hour is coming, and now is”.
    1. My how fast time flies!
    2. An “hour” “is” [was] coming and before Jesus finished what He was saying to the woman that hour arrived.
    3. That was 2000 years ago!
      1. Today we have people telling us there is a future time where everyone who does not go to Jerusalem to worship the Father will have bad stuff happen to them.
      2. That is not the revelation [truth] Jesus gave this woman.
      3. That is a portion of the truth the “true worshipers” must use in worshiping the Father.
      4. Why? Because the Father seeks worship from those worshipers! “For such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”
  3. “God is spirit” and therefore is not bound to a geographical location, nor does He bind true worshipers to a geographical location in order for them to worship Him.
    1. Worship in spirit can happen any time and any place the true worshiper chooses!
    2. The only limitation that is on the true worshiper is the limit placed on them by them!

I encourage you to go to Bethel Church Brunswick, GA’s YouTube channel and watch the series Jesus and Jerusalem. It follows another provocative series titled, WHO IS THE ISRAEL OF GOD, And What Does That Have To Do With Me?

Please keep in mind this very important point as it pertains to studying Scripture ~ Everything said [written] in Scripture must be viewed in the light of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

“1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” [Hebrews 1]

“In these last days” began when Jesus arrived on the planet as a baby in a manger! People misdiagnose Scripture because they misunderstand when the last days began [begin].

If you believe the last days began when the State of Israel for formed you are already deceived!

Do due diligence and do what the Berean believers did – ” Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” [Acts 17:11]

Keep HIS Faith! Keep HIS Passion! Keep HIS Purposes!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin

A Hisstorymaker

 

Cain, Rejectee Or Rejector?

Posted on by under Bible, Christian, Excellence, LifeGiving, Righteousness, School Of The Spirit, Training

Have you ever felt rejected personally when you believed the person you valued did not appreciate the work you had done for them?

People who have their identity in what they do and not who they are do not respond well when their hard work is not enough to keep them where they believed their hard work had placed them. Their “old self” shows up.

The question that must be asked and answered is: Was there ever a new self or did the person just hide their “old self” well until they believed they were rejected? And then everyone gets to see their old self!

Cain was such an individual. Cain worked hard for God. Cain believed his hard work positioned him in a special place with God, and when God did not have the same value for his hard work, Cain proved his heart was never after God’s heart. This is the very reason Cain’s hard work was rejected. By the way, God did not reject Cain! God rejected his hard work as an offering of true worship.

Cain never understands their hard work does not place them where they are. Acceptance, value and honor place them where they are but their lack of honor disqualifies them for remaining where they had been placed!

When what we do is rejected we discover our lack of depth in the relationship with the one we did the work for! Cain saw God as his problem and the one who did not value their relationship.

3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” 8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” Genesis 4

When the Lord rejected Cain’s offering [of the work of his own hands] the world around Cain felt the wrath of Cain’s lack of honor for God and His will [true worship based on His work].

God is looking for those “whose hearts are fully His!” [2 Chronicles 16:9] This statement is within the context of King Asa who only obeyed God when it was convenient. The king lashed out at the prophet who represented the God who rejected his partial obedience.

People who think God is impressed with their hard work and deserve special treatment because of their hard work reveal that they do not understand real relationship with God, or the kind of worship God looks for. God looks for those whose heart is fully His.

That is why Jesus would later talk about a people, “Who worship Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.”

Relationship with God and His people begins with valuing what He values. Cain never connected to God’s heart because he was only interested in his hard work. His false belief created a heart that was hard and out of his hard heart he fell into what he carried in his heart – wrath.

People who carry wrath in their heart instinctively want judgment on others who do not do what they want.

They believe God has judged them so now they have a license to judge others!

Punishment of others is comfort food for Cain!

God gave Cain the opportunity to rise up after his countenance fell. God offered Cain a promotion! God offered Cain the opportunity to rise above the place he dwelt in his heart so that he would be able to see and experience God’s heart. Cain rejected the promotion!

Instead of seeing what God had offered him, Cain, because he did not value God or God’s community, continued his downward slide toward murder. Cain carried murder in his heart before God rejected his offering. When God rejected Cain’s offering Cain took it as personal rejection. The rejection did not create Cain’s hard heart but it did reveal it.

There are a lot of Cain’s in Christian communities [churches]!

Cain, God bless them, worship what they create instead of worshiping the Creator!

There are many examples of this in Scripture. Lucifer, Cain, Saul, and Judas are just a few of the personalities in Scripture that fell because they worshiped ‘their’ worship instead of the God who looks for worshipers who will worship Him in [by] spirit [not self] and [His] truth.

Idolatry is false worship and is condemned by God because it elevates what we have done above what God has done and is doing.

False worshipers become apparent when their expression of worship [what they worship] is not accepted by God. They look for someone else to blame instead of dealing with their false worship. This reveals their true intentions and why they are in the Community of believers. They need people of faith to affirm what they do because they do not have a real relationship with God. We know this is true because when they feel rejected they begin accusing God and those who they feel have rejected them.

They want and need to be accepted for what they do because they are hiding among the baggage of their old self! Never realizing they have been accepted and if what they do is rejected it is not a reflection of the value that God or His Community has for them!

When we believe we are rejected instead of understanding that our behavior is being rejected we disconnect from the people and place that has accepted us!

In verse 8 we read, “Cain told Abel his brother.” What did Cain tell Abel? Did Abel respond to Cain? If Abel responded to Cain what did he say?

Let’s look at a possibility!

Abel was Cain’s brother until Abel did not come into agreement with Cain. People who want others to tell them what they want to hear cannot handle being told what they need to hear. Now, Cain has felt the sting of rejection by God and his brother. And Cain is going to destroy the very one who was representing God to him by telling him the truth!

When Cain shows his true self [his old self] he proves he was not worthy of being in the Community.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. 11 “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 “When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear!14 “Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed  a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled  in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” Genesis 4

Verse 16 is a sad but revealing verse. “Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” Cain settled [sat in judgment] in the land of Nod [aimlessness, no connection to anything stable], east [that which is before] of Eden [the place of God’s pleasure].

The Garden God created for man to have access to and have responsibility over was ‘east of Eden’. Cain, because of his irreverent and dishonorable behavior settled farther east of the place of God’s original pleasure, which was the place He placed original man, his parents.

Cain wanted nothing to do with God or what pleased Him. Again, this decision revealed what Cain carried in his heart the whole time he was in God’s presence. He wanted the benefit of a relationship without being responsible in the relationship and when he did not get his way he totally disconnected. That never works out well!

Many people believe God drove Cain out from His presence! Cain is the one who said God was driving Him away. Cain, who was never truly connected to God, now totally disconnected from God! “Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” Cain was still operating out of his will be done, not God’s!

God stated in verse 12 what had always been a reality in Cain’s heart. “You will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” God was simply revealing to Cain the truth that he was already a vagrant [a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging; one who wavers] and a wanderer [an aimless traveler] on the earth.”

To waver means you can not settle on what is established truth. Cain mixed his version of truth with God’s truth and then he settled on his version of truth.

People who mingle their version and perception of truth with God’s established truth will always feel rejected by those who have settled the matter of whose truth they will live by. Unsettled people cannot connect completely to settled people!

They are vagrants and wanderers. These are the ones who say, “God called me to serve you and to serve with you” and then when their lack of honor and reverence show up and is confronted, God mysteriously changes His mind. Now, “God told me to go over there and serve over there.” No He did not! God knew where you needed to be and when what you carried in your heart was confronted by those God called you to serve you revealed your vagrancy and your inability or unwillingness to settle down in established [God’s] truth.

Nepios [carnal, childish] believers are revealed by their instability!

Ephesians 4:14 – “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine [their own version of truth], by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”

Mature believers can handle the truth because they speak truth!

Ephesians 4:15 – “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,”

Truth is found in what God wants us to hear not what we want to hear!

Can you handle THE truth?

From their instability nepios [immature] believers blame the mature believers when they are not moved [manuevered or manipulated] by their immature behavior.

Instead of staying connected to those who are stable they disconnect and drift into places where they find other immature believers so they can feel comfortable with their immaturity.

The Cain’s of the Community are self-centered!

Verses 13 and 14 reveal this truth – “Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the [good and productive] ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.'”

Cain continued to blame God for his condition because the Cain’s of the Community can never be in the wrong!

“Whoever finds me will kill me” is a clear indication that Cain was looking for self preservation. He was not concerned with the preservation of God’s established truth or his brother Abel’s life. Cain’s only think of themselves! ‘How is this affecting me?’ is one of their core values when, ‘How is my childish behavior affecting the Community?’ should be their core value!

Loyalty and faithfulness are discovered in the process of disagreement and options!

Can you, or will you be loyal and faithful during disagreement or will you use the disagreement as your excuse to disconnect?

Because you have so many options for “worship” will you stay in the process of refinement where God called you to be and set you in to grow, or will you use the disagreement to move to Nod farther east of Eden, and therefore be a vagrant and wanderer forever, or at least until you decide to quit running and hiding?

Only you can answer these very important questions!

One thing is for sure, your future well-being depends on how you answer these questions!

Keep HIS Faith! Keep HIS Passion!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury

His Hisstorymaker

Worship Is An Act Of Love And War #8 – Overcoming Our Personal Goliath

Posted on by under LifeGiving

“Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle.” Psalm 144:1

David worshiped God for many reasons but in this verse he stated he worshiped because God had enabled him to effectively use his hands in warfare.

David was a mighty worshiping warrior!
He was a mighty worshiping intercessor!
He was a mighty prophetic worshiper!
He was a mighty worshiping protector of God’s purposes on the earth!

David was skilled with his hands in warfare. He seized a lion and a bear with his bare hands and killed them so that his father’s sheep would be protected.

He used a sling to launch a rock into the forehead of Goliath.

Do you know Goliath? He was the giant that stood at a distance and taunted God and His people. Please notice Goliath never attacked by approaching the army of Israel. He simply launched words of accusation from a distance.

Goliath is a contradiction. Usually things look bigger the closer you get to them. In his case, Goliath was in reality only a giant at a distance.

David is the one who attacked. He ran toward Goliath. And before he launched the rock from his sling he launched his confidence through his words. As David approached Goliath he found him to be weak and vulnerable to God’s truth.

Once he killed Goliath he then took Goliath’s sword and cut off Goliath’s head. Swords in Scripture speak of words. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. When our enemy speaks to us he is attempting to cut us down with his sword.

Instead of empowering your Goliath’s by viewing them at a distance run toward them declaring the truth of who you are in Christ and watch them fall to the ground and die. Then cut off their head with their own sword, as David did.

David continued to use Goliath’s sword in battle to defeat the enemies of His Lord.

I do not believe that is why David praised God in this instance.

I believe David praised God because when David worshiped the powers of darkness were neutralized and even retreated. I believe David learned this valuable bit of intel when he was a servant in King Saul’s house, and in those far fields of isolated faithful service for his father.

“So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.” 1 Sam 16:23

The Bible does not say what I am about to write but I believe it is very possible that David’s private worship in the far fields of his father’s property, and his public worship in the courts of the King, created an atmosphere where the giant was not able to cross into the personal space of God’s people. It also created a great confidence in David’s heart that God was in control, not the enemy.

Worship is an act of love and war and when we worship we connect with the heart of God and God’s heart is displayed through us in great courage to face our personal giants.

If we cannot face and conquer our personal giants then we will never be effective in defeating the giants that have paralyzed and are destroying our society.

David never let his personal giant, the need and hunt for personal and physical intimacy, get in the way of his personal and spiritual hunt for intimacy with God.

David spent time with God and because he spent time with God even during his personal struggles he was able to overcome them. From his place of personal victory he was able to carry his victory into the greater battle for the souls of people, the soul of a region and the soul of the world.

From his loins, the place of his greatest personal battle, came the Messiah, the Savior of all mankind. While not every person will receive salvation they have been provided that wonderful gift.

Do not allow your personal struggles to keep you from the presence of the only Person that can give you victory.

Winning your personal victories will create confidence and courage so you can bring victory to a multitude of other people.

Personal obedience releases corporate blessing! Exponential effect is one way to see greater results in advancing God’s kingdom in the earth.

Staying Hungry And Thirsty For God!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin
A Hisstorymaker