YCCM PART Chapter LIVING IN THE GREY ZONE Part One: TERRITORY WAITING TO BE CLAIMED

YCCM PART 

Chapter 

LIVING IN THE GREY ZONE

Part One: TERRITORY WAITING TO BE CLAIMED

Revelation 3:14-22

14 "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: 'These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth.

My Brothers and Sisters,

I pray this day finds you well and at peace.  But, if this is not so...is it not true that our Heavenly Father loves us?  Is it not true that He chastises those whom He loves, that we may grow in holiness and righteousness?  Is it not true that He knows how much we can bear and weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning?

Be it so, then, count all your trials and tribulations as joy.  Think not on the trouble of the day, but the victory that comes from abiding in our Saviour, Yeshuah, Jesus Christ, knowing that He and Abba Father, the great Jehovah God, the One and only God are with you, whether in darkness or light or the grey mist that clouds your path.

THE GREY MIST

What and where is the Grey Zone?   It is an area of transformation as well as a purifying fire.  It is physical, spiritual and mental territory, which can only be claimed for God, by our surrendering to His Will and Way.  Its location is as relative as it is dynamic.  It's not a location that God has set high or low or established on the byway, that a traveler might spy and say, “Ah, there it is!” No, it is a  time and place  that exist specifically for our breaking, making and molding.  

It can be as calm as languid waters, flowing as a winding brook or as turbulent as raging rapids in a rushing river; as dry as an arid desert; as high as a mountain peak or as low as the bottom of an ocean ravine.  It may be a battlefield covered with bludgeoned bodies too hideous to lay eyes upon or a spiritual realm where darkness lies waiting to strike and kill.
 
My brothers and sisters, 

I stir your imagination, simply to say that God will meet you wherever you are.  Please don't be deterred by my desire to use this diverse and controversial name in the context of faith and spirituality.  The name is neither biblical nor historical.  It is used in science and medicine to describe vague areas of research and uncertain affects, results, inconclusive statistics, unproven theories and arguable prognoses.  

The dictionary defines the Grey Zone as:

• an area, situation, etc, lacking clearly defined characteristics
• an area of uncertainty or indeterminacy
• a situation in which the rules are not clear or in which you are not sure what is right or wrong

I have simply applied the name to make a sometimes unrecognizable or invisible territory of bondage--visual; visual to bring the obstruction out in the open for all to see that, as formidable and unconquerable as it may seem, it is not to be feared.  Man has conquered beast, land and water.  This region is not beyond yielding, but without doubt, it is more challenging because it requires surrender to God and renewing of the mind.

By whatever guise or experience it comes to us, the Grey Zone is simply: Spiritual, mental and physical territory waiting to be claimed by us, in order to fill our lives with holiness and righteousness, that we may live in the fullness of God's Glory.  It is a space, a pause an opportunity given and created to set things right, to be tried and tested; and to show yourself approved. Those who find themselves in the Grey Zone are given an unique opportunity; unique in that it is individualized; and tailored just for them, because, God has a plan for your life.
 
At times, we might only think of this area as imaginary or intangible, still, inasmuch as a dream, having been dreamed  becomes part of our reality, the Grey Zone, also exist in our reality.  It is a slate, a scroll, a ledger, a book of recorded memories, interacting with our consciousness, in whatever state we are in, sleeping or awake, it exists on a cognitive plane, populating a  region within the confines of the grey matter that makes up the human brain, the area where we dump all the things that we don't really want to process or define, yet, in our weakness, it may come to define us.

I call it the Grey Zone or Grey Area for two reasons.  First, it is the space between black and white.  You've probably heard the saying, “Everything is not black or white.  There are some gray areas; meaning, everything is not right or wrong.”  Sometimes you are forced to make choices based on the greater good that requires you to break the rules or laws of man; or sometimes you may be forced to live under circumstances that you may have little or no control over, that force you to think outside the box and your comfort zone, in order to break the chains that are keeping you there.  Regardless of the circumstances, it is an area that must be met with faith and trust in God.  You must decide whom you will serve.

LUKEWARM

Revelation 3:16

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of  My mouth.

Without guidance, one can, without a doubt, become lost in the Grey Zone.  The result is that one becomes weaker and weaker.  We've often been told, “What doesn't kill you, will make you stronger.”   However, that depends on, in what, or in whom, you find your strength. Those who turn to darkness to survive are eventually devoured; for the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy.

Still, there are people who choose to remain in the Grey Zone in spite of the danger and cost.  They're hearts are neither hot, being zealous for God, His holiness and righteousness; nor cold, having no thought or care for the Will and Way of the Lord.  They tread a path of indifference with lukewarm hearts.  Their love is for self and the world--not God, our Father and Jesus, His Son.  Acting upon their own self-will and thinking, they have no desire in their heart to change for the better, by coming to truly know Jehovah God and Yeshuah, His Son.

Those who are lukewarm are still in the world and of the world, attached to the things of the world.  They have bought into lies and are paying the price.  They cling to the world which glamorizes and exploits the Grey Zone.  They cling to the world which downplays the danger of the Grey Zone and encourages you to stay right where you are.

The darkness sees this seemingly inescapable quagmire as a landmark of our certain defeat and demise; an opportunity to increase its mass and maintain and justify the lust and hatred that it feeds upon.

The darkness uses the Grey Zone as a weapon against believers to discourage others from seeking God. The adversary seizes every opportunity to whisper into someone's ear,  “See...they are no better off than we are. They have the same problems and struggles. Where has their faith and belief in God gotten them?”

The enemy may ridicule and laugh as they watch a fallen believer, yet, in the inner-reaching of their blackened-soul is more than just a tinge of fear that we might rise again.  We might somehow break our chains of bondage.  So, they must continue to taunt, torment, ridicule, criticize and remind us of where we are; what we have done in our past, and the futility and hopelessness of a brighter future.

Within the Grey Zone, the darkness seizes every opportunity to appeal to the flesh, keeping you confused to who you are and to whom you belong.  It will take advantage of the weakness of our flesh to entice and tempt us to pass through the Grey Zone into utter darkness.  

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE

Another way to look at  the Grey Zone is as being the space after a comma, which usually is followed by the word 'but', or a similar word of explanation or reason.  

For instance:

It is possible to eradicate some diseases and end starvation in the world, but, that would require international cooperation, sacrifice, sharing and redistribution of wealth to end disparity.

We can expect most high school graduates to go to higher education, such as, college or business/technical/trade schools, except those from families below poverty level whose academic progress has been impeded by their socioeconomic status.

In these situations, we can identify a grey area.  Man may know what is right and wrong, but, he chooses the option that best fits his needs.  Man is resistant to change and men of the world are most often concerned with their own welfare; easily led by the lust and temptations of the flesh.

1st Peter 1:6,7

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Matthew 4:1-4

Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He afterward hungered.
3 And when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."
4 But He answered and said, "It is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that  proceedeth out of the mouth of God.'"

CONFLICT and CONFLICTING INTERESTS

Grey areas can be created when individuals, governments, leaders, organizations, institutions, and religions are not living under Truth and disregard God's Will and Way.  Grey areas are the byproduct of governments who: refuse to recognize and attempt to meet the basic needs of all; governments who disenfranchise their citizens and make people fall in-between the cracks; governments who impose taxation without representation.  Grey areas appear within governments entangled in conflicts, civil and international war; and governments who rule by oppression and try to control the lives of their citizens.

Conflict, adversity, pain and sorrow set the wheels of injustice rotating within the mind of man and he begins to produce questions and seek justification and compensation for his suffering.  His discomfort seeks to be alleviated.  His misery and strife look for ways to by-pass the natural reaction to the pain and helplessness that has been inflicted upon him.  Resentment, rebellion and revenge may be fueled by pain, grief, anger or hatred that eats at his embittered soul.  Yet, underneath, is the desire for peace, stability, and the happiness which has been stolen from him.  Although, adversity has tried to push him into an environment of no escape, the soul and spirit of man strives to break down its surrounding walls and find a way out.

Our environment does not define who we are. Yet, our actions within our environment show our strengths and weaknesses derived from who we were, who we believe we are and who we can become.

The Grey Zone, was never intended to be our permanent residence.  Our stay is usually dependent upon our actions and obedience.  God is working to break us and mold us.  Then, He looks for us to seek Him and claim our territory for holiness, righteousness, joy, peace and the fruit born out of His Love.

Too often, when we are in an unpleasant situation, we focus on our physical state instead of our spiritual and mental state.  We believe that if God would just give us more, give back what we have lost, change our physical circumstances, remove us from our present environment and perhaps, give us the freedom to live according to our own ideology and standards, then, life (as we perceive and desire it) would improve.

More than likely, we don't see ourselves as being part of the problem or the solution.  We leave it up to God to ensure our happiness by changing everything and everyone around us to free us from the tyrannical rule and the list of unpleasant circumstances that we believe oppress us.

We are remiss of our responsibilities and the opportunity in front of us to make a choice and ignite change.  Like unjust governments and rulers, we too are unable to see that our personal interests conflict with God's plans

VICTIM MENTALITY

Jesus was sent to an enslaved people.  If you miss this point, then like many of the Jews, you will miss your deliverance.  The Jews of Jesus' time had not been physically enslaved as had their ancestors and did not consider themselves to be slaves.  The merciless hands of the Egyptian task-masters, from which they had fled, had been replaced by the long-reaching arms of the Roman Empire, a government that looked upon them as inferior and taxed them heavily.

The bondage of this generation was of a different nature.  They had given their minds over to the world and he who ruled the darkness therein.  They believed their problems only to be of a physical nature, but it was their minds which had been taken captive; not by their rulers, the Roman government, but by darkness, due to their disobedience to God and indulgence in self.

They could not see God in the working of things nor feel His presence; nor did they keep His commandments.  When there was opportunity to do right, they chose to do wrong.

Why would God send Jesus to an oppressed people if there were nothing that could be done to help them physically?  Were they delivered?  Why did He choose not to deliver them by violence? Could it be that like their ancestors who wandered in the wilderness for forty years, they too needed to bury their dead, self-thinking and learn to make the right choices?

Throughout the centuries, the law could not keep them from sin.  God knew that a different type of deliverance was needed to free them.

Again, I must reiterate, the Jews believed that the answer to their problems was to be freed from Roman rule and tyranny.  If they could just be removed from their Grey Zone and have control over their lives, they would be fine.  They would continue with their ways of tradition, religion and doctrine and life would be all the better.

So it is with many of us today, who believe that if we could just be free of our situation and the people who we view as creating problems in our lives, we would be fine. But, just as the Jews, if we continue only to listen to our own thinking, we will remain in bondage.

Through the example of the Jewish people, what is God telling us about being in a Grey Zone and having control over our circumstances?

God gives us Israel's history during and after captivity, emphasizing the characteristics of those of faith, little faith and no faith, and the reward to those who trusted God and endured. 

Daniel (Belteshazzar), Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abednego), while in captivity in Babylon, saw their circumstances in a different light.  They remained faithful to God.  Although, they were carried away to a strange land, they endured because they claimed their physical, spiritual and mental territory for God.  They continued to live in obedience, serving and trusting God, as He would have them to do.

They could have chosen to remain in their Grey Zone, waiting for deliverance.  It would have been much easier to allow themselves to be assimilated into the culture and religion of the Babylonians and lead very sinful lives.  However, they remembered who they were and that they belonged to God.

For slavery and bondage to be successful, the oppressors must convince the slave that they belong to them and that they are powerless.  The slave must have no other identity or resources other than that which the master gives him, having no other option than to obey their master and succumb to their circumstances.

Many methods may be used to achieve and maintain control over the slave, such as:

• coercion
• torture
• rape
• humiliation
• public punishment and killings to set examples
• selective breeding
• creating disloyalty, distrust and strife between slaves to discourage unity
• keeping slaves from the same territorial regions and ancestral tribes apart to discourage unity and bonding
• stripping slaves of their names, identity, language and heritage
• removing the slave, especially runaway slaves, from a familiar environment
• destroying the strength of the family structure
• keeping males submissive and emasculated
• banning marriage and family
• separating families
• making slaves dependent upon their master for their basic needs
• keeping slaves illiterate
• banning ideology, religions and faith-based gatherings which teach and encourage unity, strength, freedom and a relationship with God
• disallowing personal possessions and ownership
• devaluing the life of a slave
• dehumanizing slaves
• establishing a class system
• implementing racism, segregation and discrimination
• passing laws to legalize and support slavery
• overworking slaves
• keeping the slave in below poverty living conditions
• brainwashing and conditioning
• verbal and emotional abuse
• menial and repetitive tasks to tire the mind and create a sense of laziness, being inferior, insignificant and expendable
• punishment and rewards to create fear and loyalty to the master
• masters raping children and women to humiliate, victimize, punish, control, and create a sense of loyalty, superiority and kinship in their offspring

 
When we look at these methods, we can identify them and variations of them, as being used by Satan to enslave people today to drugs, sex, abuse, poverty, anger, violence, hopelessness, gossip, broken families, incest, etc.  The overall picture of slavery is one of vulgarity, cruelty, brutality and atrocity.  The aftermath of slavery is felt for centuries and changes the identity and mentality of the enslaved people.

This is the same way that bondage works today.  Even when individuals and families are freed from their oppressive environment, they remain in bondage spiritually and emotionally and often develop victim mentality that impedes their progress or renders them completely immobile, unmotivated or dependent upon others.

COMING OUT OF SELF

As human beings, we are constantly looking for our identity.  If we don't look to God, then we find it in our circumstances and the world.  We become enslaved to another master, who wants us to be engrossed and obsessed with self—the flesh.  Once we are a slave to the flesh, our bondage creates victim mentality, wherein, one convinces oneself that there is nothing that can be done to alter or change their current circumstances.  This takes the blame and responsibility off of oneself and puts it on something or someone else.  Their battered pride steps in to convince them that they've done what they could or should have done in the grey area.  It may convince them that there is no way or only one way to fight.  However, free your mind of lies and abide in God's Truth and Word and the rest will follow.  You will be free indeed.  This is what Jesus was trying to tell His followers.

John 8:31-36

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed in Him, "If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed.
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou, 'Ye shall be made free'?"
34 Jesus answered them, "Verily, verily I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

DELIVERANCE

What can people born into poverty, starvation, oppression, war, abuse, sickness and disease do for themselves?  What can we do for them?  Why would God put people on Earth just to have them live a life of pain, strife, struggling, suffering and sorrow?

The Bible shows us that God will deliver us one way or the other.  We sometimes don't understand when deliverance is death, but what we must understand, is that death is not the end for those who know God.

What can people born into poverty, starvation, oppression, war, abuse, sickness and disease do for themselves?  They can come to know God through Jesus Christ.  He will make them free indeed.  What can we do for them?  We can lead them to Christ, pray for them and love them as we love ourselves. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.   Oh, that millions of fervent prayers would flood the skies from millions living in holiness and righteousness!

James 5:16

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

THE REMEMBERED

Deuteronomy 8:2-5

2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

Why would God put people on Earth just to have them live a life of suffering, as if they have been cast aside and forgotten?  For the answer, we must see beyond the flesh and suffering.  Why?  Because we are 'spiritual beings', made in God's image.

When we look beyond the flesh and suffering: we see proof of God's Word; proof of His Kingdom and another home; proof of His desire to show us that life is so much more than this world.  Inasmuch as life being born amidst the dark and horrendous atmosphere of death and destruction is evidence of the hand of God, it also proves that nothing is too hard or impossible for God. 

Life is so much more; with His power and might, God can turn what was intended for evil into good; raising up the orphan, the disabled, the homeless, battered and abused to become leaders, teachers, scientists and servants of the Lord.  

Life is much more; that life struggles to love on the hinges of sickness, disease, famine and starvation shows us the value of love.  

Life is so much more; that a helpless mother sheds tears for her child dying from a curable disease (had there been vaccine), helps to define humanity; what we should be and what we can be; where we are and where we should be. 

Life is so much more with God.  These are not the forgotten or the forsaken.  Matthew 5:1-16 tells us that THESE are the remembered.  It is we, who have been given so much who should be concerned with being forsaken and forgotten, when our Creator, our Heavenly Fatherly, finds us fruitless and having not loved and provided for our neighbors in need.

THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH

(CHANGING OUR BELIEFS AND EXPECTATIONS)

Israel prayed for deliverance.  Israel's deliverer was Jesus; not a messiah to fight the Romans physically, but to deliver the Jews spiritually and mentally.  Through God's grace and mercy and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, man was offered the divine gift to become born again through God's Holy Spirit with the renewing of his mind to become Christ-like.  God can free your mind wherever you are: in a prison, poverty, abuse, addiction, sickness or a bad relationship. 

And so we know through the Word of God, that Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, not because God could not deliver them, but to let their dead thinking bury itself.  They had worshiped false gods and lived with generations of worldly thinking and iniquity, bondage and slave mentality.

So it is with our deliverance today.  Deliverance will come from our transformation by our rebirth in the Holy Spirit and the renewing of our mind.
 
Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

You exist in a world filled with darkness and whether or not you are aware of your situation, you are living and passing through grey areas where your freedom to live out your faith is challenged and denied.  You are surrounded by anti-Christ thinking and lifestyles. 

You cannot look for deliverance in change of government and leadership.  You must cast light within your grey area.  You must hold on to your faith, wherever you are challenged, daily.

If you want to be delivered, you must bury your dead thinking that produces no life and no fruit; self-thinking which has no power to overcome and conquer and replace it with the mind of Christ.

Do you have the mind of Christ?  Do you abide in the power of His Holy Spirit which produces new life and life abundant?  Do you seek Him while you are in the grey areas of your life; that He may renew your mind and spirit and bring you into the marvelous Light?  Can you stand and hold out until your change comes?  Can you wait on God to do things in His own time?

Yes, God does things in His own time, but His time is dependent upon our total surrender to His will and way, or else we, too, will be left to wander in the wilderness, until we bury our dead thinking, or perish.

Many cannot be delivered because they refuse to change their beliefs and expectations.  Those Jews who rejected Jesus remained in physical and spiritual captivity, still awaiting a Messiah to deliver them.  Many African American slaves remained on the plantation after being emancipated, unable to mentally process what freedom meant to them and how it could change their lives.  These people continued to live in fear and bondage because they could not let go and bury their thinking.  They continued to focus on the grey areas and the power they had given to men over their lives.

Yes, death is a formidable foe and an option we would rather not choose and for this reason, many choose bondage.  Yet, there is a power greater than death, which can be found in He, who conquered death to give us life eternal---everlasting life.  Just as He chose to die for us, we must chose to live for Him, wherever we are, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves.  We have a choice, always.  We have a Savior, always.  There is deliverance, always.

HEARING HIS VOICE—OPENING THE DOOR

Revelation 3:19-2121st Century King James Version (KJ21)

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.

21 To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with My Father on His throne.

• Acknowledge you are in a grey area of your life and call upon God.
• Repent (having a changed mind, heart and direction away from sin).
• Surrender--give yourself to God; not waiting for someone to take you to God.  He is always near, waiting to hear from you anytime--anyplace.  Fall on your knees and surrender--giving your life and circumstance to God.
• Know who you serve and who you are in Christ.  We are given a renewed mind, when we become born of the Spirit--a mind of Christ. The old man is shed and the new man is born with a renewed mind able to conquer the world and withstand the storms of life. 
• Seek God's face, His will and way. We are to bring Heaven to Earth.
• Learn God's Word, Study His Word diligently that it may be written upon your heart and that you may have protection against the enemy.
• Seek Truth, accountability, holiness, righteousness
• Love God with all your heart and soul
• Abide in His Holy Spirit and be fruitful, producing the Fruit of God's Holy Spirit
• You are never alone.  STANDING in the Grey Zone or in total darkness; know that God is Omnipresent.
• Each day, remember that you have a choice.  We always have a choice; be we in chains, threatened, poor or rich, God says, choose you this day who you will serve.
• Arise and put on the Armor of God.
• Walk in His Light, covered by His Holiness and Righteousness.
• Reach out to help others. There is always someone whose problems are greater than yours.

GIVING GOD THE GLORY

We overcome our pride, guilt, shame and insecurities by humbling ourselves and letting others know what God is doing and has done in our life to deliver us and help us overcome the world and our flesh.  As you begin to notice change and growth in your life, GIVE GOD THE GLORY!  Know that it is only the beginning of your journey and deliverance.  Let others know what God is doing and has done in your life, in spite of your circumstances.  Give regular praise reports and testimonies.  Satan doesn't want others to know that he has and will again suffer defeat and lose control over people and territory.

Don't worry about those who want to look better-off than you; those who want to look more holy and righteous; or the nay-sayers, the people who doubt, ridicule, laugh at you and want you to fail.  Pray for them; for they unknowingly are in bondage to lies, as are those who believe you are a braggart seeking attention.  

They have darkness in their own heart that needs to be removed; for we should rejoice for the favor of God upon our neighbor and celebrate their deliverance.

As David explained to his wife Michal (who, in her jealous rage, dealt him a bitter tongue-lashing and scorned and chastised him for dancing half-naked before the maidservants and people), "It was before the LORD, who chose me before thy father and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore will I play before the LORD. (2nd Samuel 6:14-22)

So it is, that we should not fear man, but the Lord, nor should we withhold our praise from Him, who alone is worthy.  Never forget where your help comes from!  Make thy testimony known that others may awake and be delivered also!

MOVING OUT OF THE GREY ZONE
(A RENEWED MIND)

For those coming out of the Grey Zone, God has shown you favor, grace and mercy.  He has chosen you to raise up and deliver.  You have regained your life and territory!  He has restored your joy!  You were dead in sin, now you are alive in Truth!  You were held captive and a slave to a lie, now the Truth has set you free!  You were lost with no one to guide you, now you have found your identity and direction in Christ and a place in His Kingdom.

You thought you were alone and forsaken, now you have joined the Body of Christ and walk with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as One.  You were poor, now you are rich in Spirit and Truth and heir to a Kingdom.  You were broken, now you are whole.  Your soul lay sickened by the melee of darkness, now you walk in the marvelous Light.  Your body  was racked with pain, diseased and sick unto death, now by His stripes, you are healed!

You thought your life was over, now through Christ, it has begun.  You have been given abundant and everlasting life.  You can make a joyful noise!  You can dance, sing and SHOUT, LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!

BELIEVE!

Perhaps, you are one of many, who have read this message and book from the beginning and you still have doubt to its validity and the effectiveness of God's Word.  Perhaps, your life is in the Grey Zone, right now.  From time to time you may have felt that you have wasted your life; or there is no way out of your circumstances; or that this is all there is.  You may have given in to believing that life had no more to offer you. Your situation may have looked so bleak, but this message produced a glimmer of hope, just enough to wonder if it is worth giving a relationship with God a try.  If this is the case, it might be worth reading it again.

When you get to James 5:16, begin to pray to Abba Father.  Pray for belief and believe that prayer changes things.  Pray unceasingly in repentance and humility, especially when adversity comes to draw you into darkness.

Your life is territory waiting to be claimed for God's Kingdom of holiness and righteousness, joy, peace, abundance and eternal life.  Your body is His temple, waiting to be filled with His Holy Spirit.  Turn your heart to God and watch what He can do!

Abraham was a man of God and a prophet.  He believed in the Lord and God heard him.  He will hear you, too.  Don't be afraid.  Just believe.  You CAN overcome.  Victory has already been given to you through Jesus Christ.

Genesis 15:6

And he believed in the LORD; and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

AMEN

By the Grace and Mercy of Our Father, 

Your Servant and Soldier

mishael

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SELF REFLECTION: A Look in the Mirror

Once again, when we look at Jesus' parables, He is challenging us to examine where our heart lies. Closely examining your heart, answer the questions below.

DISCUSS your answers with a mature Believer who can guide you in your spiritual relationship with Jesus and our Father, and/or have group discussions to learn from those who have different experiences and perspectives.

QUESTIONS: Write down your questions and discuss them with a mature Believer or submit them to this blog.

1. 
   

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REFERENCED SCRIPTURE

2nd Samuel 6:14-22

14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

16 And as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

18 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.

19 And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.

20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!"

21 And David said unto Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me before thy father and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore will I play before the LORD.

22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight; and of the maidservants whom thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be held in honor."

Matthew 5:1-16

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven

Revelation 3:14-22

14 "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: 'These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, "I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing," and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor and  blind and naked,
18 I counsel thee to buy from Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.
21 To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with My Father on His throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches!'"