Category Archives: Appearance

AMAZED, Angels, Appearance, Bible, God's Will, Heaven, Messages, Scripture

ANGELS?

GALATIANS 3:19

“Why the Law then? It was added on account of the violations, having been ordered through angels at the hand of a mediator, until the Seed would come to whom the promise had been made.”

I know people who have had personal encounters with angels. Now, before you stop reading and mark me off as crazy, why should that amaze you? God has used angels all through history to deliver His messages to individuals. He has sent angels to protect and defend the innocent. So, let’s take a look at some angels today.

Paul speaks of an angelic event that is less familiar. A very strong rabbinical teaching centered around the angelic presence at the time the Law was given. Look at Deuteronomy 33:2. “He said, ‘The LORD came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone from Mount Paran, And He came from the midst of myriads of holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.’” That “myriads of holy ones” refers to ten thousands of angels. Pretty cool.

APPLICATION

Okay Carl, let’s see you apply this verse to our lives. Don’t you see? We are surrounded by angels. One of my favorite verses has to do with children having their angels. Jesus said in Matthew 18:10, “‘See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.’” Did you catch that? “their angels in heaven.

How about the passage that talks about our unknown encounters with angels? Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” I want you to understand that angels are really an everyday thing. We should not be surprised if we have the blessing of such a meeting. I could have gone on and on listing more and more about angels in the Word. Why don’t you do a word search of angels? It might just surprise you.

Let me encourage you, though, should you have an encounter, don’t go around telling everyone. You might get locked up in a hospital, lol. Most people don’t have a box for such things. But we know, as believers in Christ, that He can and does use these heavenly hosts when it is appropriate. Until then, just serve Jesus. Don’t spend your time looking for angels. Spend your time living for Jesus and looking for His return.

And the angels cried, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come.”

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Appearance, Bible, Holy Spirit, Relationships, Revelation, Scripture, Seeking

REVELATIONS

GALATIANS 1:12

“For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

I love grand revealings like when a game show reveals what is behind “curtain #1” or when a gift box is finally opened to reveal what is inside. The anticipation and excitement builds until the revelation happens. God perfectly revealed His love for us by sending Jesus to be our Savior. What a grand revelation!

In today’s verse, Paul speaks of a “revelation of Jesus Christ.” He defends his teachings from those who were trying to confuse the Galatians by saying he wasn’t told what to say by anyone except Jesus. Scholars disagree on what this “revelation” was or when exactly it happened. Most agree this revelation, this unveiling of knowledge by Jesus to Paul, probably occurred while he was in the desert for three years. It is interesting that the geographical area where Paul went was probably not too far from where Moses received his revelation from God in the form of the Law.

APPLICATION

What has God revealed to you lately? Nothing? Are you listening? Are you tuned in with the Holy Spirit? I am not trying to be critical. Hear me out. When we are seeking the Lord, He reveals Himself. Matthew 7:7-8, a well-known passage, tells us so. “7 ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.’”

In the ministry where I serve, Every Man A Warrior, we are currently having a conversation about hearing God’s voice, about experiencing these revelations. Just as Paul received his revelation from Jesus, we are still receiving Jesus’ revelations to us. I am not talking about a new doctrine or religion. I am talking about revealing more and more of Himself to us through His Word and through our conversations with Him.

Amos 4:13 says it so beautifully. “He Who forms the mountains, Who creates the wind, and Who reveals His thoughts to mankind, Who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is His name.” Woohoo! Glory to God! He is a revealing God. Look out for His revelations in your life.

Thank You for revealing Yourself to me when I least expect it. But I should expect it every day!

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Abiding, Appearance, Attitude, Bible, Reflection, Scripture, Testimony, Witnessing

HIS REFLECTION

MALACHI 3:3

“‘And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.’”

I have never watched a silversmith working, but I hear it is fascinating. The silver is melted to remove the impurities which are called dross. Like I said, I have never seen this process, but I have been told that the silversmith continues heating the silver and scooping off the dross until he can see his reflection in the melted silver.

The Lord intends to purify these priests and the people so they are worthy to present offerings to Him again. Again, think back to the process I described above. God wants to see His reflection in the priests and people. He wants them to reflect their God on others. That had not been the case. They had been reflecting evil desires and worldly living. God is about to change all that.

APPLICATION

Ezekiel 22:17-22 is worth sharing here since it also talks about this process. “17 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 18 ‘Son of man, the house of Israel has become metal to Me; all of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the smelting furnace; they are the waste metal of silver. 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: “Because all of you have become waste metal, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the smelting furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will place you there and melt you. 21 And I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath on you.”’”

Proverbs 27:19 gives us a glimpse into what we reflect also. “As in water a face reflects the face, so the heart of a person reflects the person.” What are you reflecting today? Are you showing off the face of Jesus or your own self-determined face? We have a choice each day. The Lord expects us to be a reflector of His love and grace to others. Let’s do that today.

Oh God, help me reflect only You. Let me be hidden behind Your radiant grace.

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Appearance, Bible, Christ's Return, Future, God's Will, Judgment, Promises, Rapture, Scripture

I’M ON THE WAY

MALACHI 3:1

“‘Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Do you know what OTW means when you get a text message? It means On The Way. I have used that a few times, in fact, just the other day when a friend I was meeting texted me to find out where I was. Now OTW doesn’t tell anyone where you are. It is just a nice way to say that you will get there when you get there. Right?

Guess what? God told the people in today’s verse that He was OTW. He did not reveal when. He just said He would suddenly come to His temple. This verse is full of images and references to John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. But for the sake of staying in the context of Malachi, let’s stick with the fact that God did come, and judgment did fall on the people. The temple was destroyed, was rebuilt and then destroyed again.

APPLICATION

Do you believe Jesus is returning? He is OTW. We don’t know when, but He is. He told us so. In Luke 17:34-35 Jesus said, “‘34I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.’” We just don’t know when He is coming.

That should not put us off from preparing for His arrival. Just like John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ first arrival into ministry, we need to be preparing the world for Him to return. Jesus told his disciples, “And He was saying to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’” (Luke 10:2) That is still true today.

In the ministry I serve, we are constantly looking for men who have a passion to disciple other men. We believe strongly the way to change a culture for Christ is to reach the men. Would you pray with me for more men to be called to full-time ministry to men? We want to reach the world for Christ and prepare it for His coming.

Father, we know Jesus is going to return. Give us direction to prepare the way for Him.

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Abiding, Appearance, Bible, Confrontation, Enemies, Forgiveness, God's Will, Grace, Humility, Kindness, Scripture

THE HIGH GROUND

ZECHARIAH 14:10

“All the land will change into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses.” 

Anyone with any knowledge of battle plans knows the importance of the high ground. From there you can see all around and monitor your enemies. You can defend your camp better from high ground. The downside of that high ground is your enemy can also see you. The high ground has its pros and cons, I guess.

The landscape around Jerusalem is going to change one day when this prophecy occurs. Verse 10 today tells us about this changing landscape. Jerusalem is currently surrounded pretty much with hills. But on this day, all those hills will be leveled a plain. Jerusalem will have the high ground. All will be able to observe the holy city. Jesus, the Messiah, is there for all to see.

APPLICATION

The application for this verse today has to be taken more allegorically. Will you give me some leeway today? Let me encourage you today to take the high ground, the high road, when it comes to conflict. Let your actions in response to your earthly foes be one of above reproach. I am reminded of the question posed by Peter regarding forgiveness. Matthew 18:21-22 tells us this story. “21 Then Peter came up and said to Him, ‘Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.’”

The rabbinical law taught to forgive someone three times, so Peter thought he was going above and beyond by saying seven times. Jesus blew his mind with his answer – 77 times! What?! Then Jesus went on to tell a story about a king and a slave who owed him a great amount. You know the story. I bet Peter got the message.

How about you? Can you take the high ground, the high road? Can you be the one to extend forgiveness 77 times? And if others refuse to forgive you, just keep loving them. Let me rephrase that. Allow Jesus to love them through you. Die to yourself. Give it to Him. He can and will accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time.

Father, I want my life to be lived in such a way that I can be observed as if on high ground with nothing to hide.  

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Abiding, Appearance, Bible, Darkness, Light, Scripture, Shining

LIGHTS OUT

ZECHARIAH 14:6

“On that day there will be no light; the luminaries will die out.” 

Once when I was preparing to fly home from Nairobi, Kenya, all the power at the airport went out. That’s not extremely unusual for Kenya, but it is for the airport. They have backup generators that normally kick in. Not this time, and this was at around 11:00 at night. Let me tell you – it was DARK. I instantly grabbed my bag, hugged it and sat motionless. I could not see my hand in front of my face.

“On that day” we are told in today’s verse, when all the activity just mentioned in verses 1-5 happens, all the light will go out in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. All the stars, the moon, the sun, all the “luminaries” will go dark. Isaiah says it well it 13:9-10. “9 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light.”

APPLICATION

Prepare yourself. That’s all I can say. We live in a dark world riddled with sin. But that darkness will seem as light on this day of judgment. But I have good news. We are the light of the world. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14-16, “‘14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.’”

Paul goes on to tell us in Ephesians, “for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” Will you shine today? Will you light up the darkness around you? How do you do that? Simply, be Jesus. Live with joy. As Bonhoeffer said, “Live your life as a believer so unbelievers will question their unbelief.”

All you have to do is submit to Jesus today. Let Him live through you. After all, it’s not your light that is shining. It is His light that shoots its beams out your mouth and out your eyes. You don’t believe me? Try it. And look for others around you who are shining and encourage them today.

Father of lights, shine through me in a dark world. 

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Appearance, Bible, Christ's Return, Deliverance, Devil, End Times, Eternity, Evil, Following, Glory, God's Will, Heaven, Hell, Judgment, Miracles, Return, Scripture

ESCAPE ROUTE

ZECHARIAH 14:5

“And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!”

I have had the opportunity to participate in a couple of Escape Room experiences. You know – those rooms set up to allow groups of people to problem solve a situation, gather clues and follow directions to get out of that room. There is always a way out if the team can just figure it out. Fortunately, I was able to escape each time, lol.

Look back at verse 4 of Zechariah 14 for a second. It says, “…the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley…” That valley is the one referred to in today’s verse. Azel was obviously a village on the other side of that valley. The earthquake mentioned here is not in historical records but must have been massive for it to have been remembered two centuries later. But the best part of this verse is the last phrase – “Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!”

APPLICATION

Wow, there’s a lot in that verse, huh? Where do we start? First of all, let’s address the escape route that God will make for the people of Jerusalem on that day. He does the miraculous to achieve His purpose. He is still doing that today. We can all probably recount a story that was nothing less than miraculous. Will you join me in looking around for those today? God is still providing a way out for us. We can share the story of Jesus with someone who is lost today and provide them with that miraculous way of escape from the punishment of hell.

How about the Lord returning with “all the holy ones”? Won’t that be a sight? I plan to be there. These “holy ones” will include His legions of angels and perhaps all the saints. That last part is us, the believers, who are with Him in glory. That is shouting ground. Look at Jude 1:14-15. “14 Behold, the Lord has come with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Whether I am with Him or not when He returns to earth to judge it, the fact of the matter is He is coming with authority. He is coming back as King and Judge, not a baby in a manger. He is not coming back to spend years teaching. No, He is coming back to issue forth judgment on the unbelieving masses and on the evil one himself. What a day that will be!

What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see. And I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace…What a day, glorious day that will be. 

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Abiding, Appearance, Beauty, Bible, Blessing, Loveliness, Scripture

LOVELINESS AND BEAUTY

ZECHARIAH 9:17

“For how great will their loveliness and beauty be! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine, the virgins.”

I am sure you have all seen a beauty contest. Contestants are judged on their beauty and poise. Sometimes they are even judged on a talent. When I was in high school, my girlfriend was crowned Miss Pelham in our hometown contest. Needless to say, my chest was a little puffed up.

God is not talking about worldly beauty and loveliness. The Hebrew words are worthy of a look. “Loveliness” means goodness, gladness, welfare. It’s a word that has meaning that is directed toward others. “Beauty” is just that – beauty. Was God saying the Israelites are all beautiful physically? Of course not. Their beauty was all based on their relationship to Him. What a great expression towards His people!

APPLICATION

How lovely and beautiful are you? Well Carl, I have been told I am a really nice person. That is not what God means by this. Our loveliness and our beauty cannot be tied to worldly opinions. Ours is tied directly to how we live out the Word of God. Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

This kind of thinking will turn us into lovely and beautiful believers. It will come out in the way we treat others. It will be exposed to strangers. We will not be able to keep Jesus from spilling out on others. They will see His loveliness and His beauty in us. Remember, it is NOT about you. It’s all about Him.

I will never be called beautiful based on my physical features. As I age, I see more and more physical imperfections. But it is my prayer that people see my loveliness and my beauty that is based on Jesus. When He shines forth, that is all that matters. Be lovely and be beautiful for Jesus!

I praise You, O God, for making me more and more like You so Your loveliness and Your beauty can be seen.

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Agreement, Allegiance, Appearance, Battles, Bible, Surrender, Trust, Victors

BLOWHARDS

ZECHARIAH 9:14

“Then the LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning; and the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, and march in the storm winds of the south.”

I have had the displeasure of knowing a couple of blowhards in my lifetime. What is a blowhard? It is someone who boasts and brags about all the things they have done or possess. They are usually way over the top in believability. No one likes to have to listen to them go on and on about their exploits.

God is not saying He is a blowhard (but I bet He can really blow hard). Albert Barnes tell us these winds of the south were the most vehement and destructive. Isaiah 21:1 says, “As whirlwinds in the south sweep by, He cometh from a desert, from a terrible land.” These winds smote the four corners of the house where Job’s children were, and they perished. The Lord is promising the people that He will be the power and the force to defeat their enemies.

APPLICATION

The theme of these last few verses has been on God’s defense of His children. That theme continues with today’s verse. The Lord says He “will appear over them.” He still does that today. Then He says, “His arrow will go forth like lightning.” The next storm you see that produces thunder and lightning, remember this verse.

He “will blow the trumpet.” The Lord is commanding His forces to defend us. He is marshalling the troops. And finally, He “will march in the storm winds.” God is a powerful force, much powerful than any force we have ever seen. He could literally puff something and destroy it.

Why do I rehearse all of that to you? To remind you, once again, that you are not alone in your battles. God is right there beside you, behind you, in front of you, below you and above you. He has you covered. But you need to be in His will and following Him if you expect this protection. Are you?

O Lord, my God, You are so powerful. Thank You for exercising some of that in my direction.

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Abiding, Appearance, Bible, End Times, Following, God's Will, Messages, Scripture

SENT BY THE LORD

ZECHARIAH 6:5

“The angel replied to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out after taking their stand before the Lord of all the earth,”

Years ago, I used to go to Washington, D.C. to lobby for issues that involved children. I was sent by the agency I worked with or another childcare agency. My role was to represent the group that sent me. I was to argue for their needs, not my own.

These four spirits (which we saw in the horses and chariots) had been “taking a stand before the Lord.” So, we must believe that they were receiving their orders. Why was this important? Because the people needed to know that God was aware of what had been happening and what would happen. These four spirits could only do what He allowed.

APPLICATION

Just like those four spirits, we may be sent by the Lord to accomplish His mission. Now, we don’t physically stand before the Lord in heaven, but we do stand before Him, don’t we?  Ephesian 6:14 says, “Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,” Who do you think is dressing you for battle?

We come to the Lord and stand before His holy throne every day as we pray and study His Word. You may be seated at your table or physically laying prostrate on the floor, but you are spiritually standing before His throne. Listen closely. You don’t want to miss His order. He wants to send you out.

I have received lots of orders in my lifetime from various bosses or supervisors. Some I did not like. Others I was okay with. But what I thought really didn’t matter. When I stand before my Lord, I will receive whatever He gives me. I will do my best to follow His command. I don’t always do it well, but I am trying. What is the order you have from the Lord? Can you hear Him?

I will serve only You, O Lord. It is You I want to follow.

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