10/3/1999
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Evil marches ever forward
into battle. Lies, half truths, deceptions and delusions roll across the
earth like a black fog on a winter morning. One by one the unknowing souls
that traverse the earthly plane are overtaken and consumed by the permeating
smoke of the fires of hell. They choke. They stumble. They fall. But they do
not see that an enemy hath done this! They are blinded by their duties,
their plans, and their desires.
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Here and there, some on
the hilltops and some in the valleys, are specks of light shining out in the
pitch shadows of a darkening age. Each speck stands alone. Each speck feels
alone. Each speck wonders if today will be the day that their light will be
snuffed out by the overwhelming thickness that is permeating the spiritual
atmosphere.
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And yet, in spite of the
oppressiveness of the all consuming evil a melody can still be heard! A
song. A tune of hope. A cry of praise and adoration can be heard, but only
if one silences the fears within and listens with a heart extended into the
night. The song of the redeemed! The song of the free! In the midst of what
is mankind’s darkest decent into the depths of spiritual degradation and
decay, the song will not be still. Over and over it is heard...
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We are warriors filled
with God!
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He’s redeemed us by the
blood!
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Praise ye heavens and
earth below.
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God’s strong wind’s
about to blow!
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Lift your lights, hidden
saints!
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Beware the fog which
swirls an’ taints.
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God still sees you in the
night!
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You are warriors; fight,
fight, fight.
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I heard the cry, it
seemed so faint. Yet, it helped me to see what could not be known. It
mattered not that the dark was there. Glory to God was heard every where!
The lights will not flicker, nor will they dim, as long as we are careful to
carry them. Truth will not die. It will not be snuffed out. It will be heard
even in fog IF WE SHOUT.
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An evil general plans yet
another evil scheme. Little does he know that his enemy snuck spies within
his walls. No plan of oppression will ultimately prevail because The Lord is
our protection. He makes His plans IN ADVANCE. He orders his troops ahead of
time.
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© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M.
10/3/1999
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10/17/99
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I stood on the shore
looking into the heavens. The sky was painted with hues of blue and red and
golden delight. It was a still ending of the day. My heart rose to consider
the expressiveness of the light and the beauty of the panorama of the
handiwork of God. I stood in awe; yet not merely at creation's greatness,
but of my own smallness.
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* * * * * * *
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Why is it that we are so
big in our own eyes? Why is it that we so much believe that all of this vast
universe is really for and about us personally? We spend our few hours on
earth transmuting all experiences and all influences as if they were aimed
right at us. If our neighbor does evil, and it touches our life, we think
that he did evil TO US. If a stranger reaches out a hand to help, and we are
the recipients of that help, we think the stranger was doing it FOR US. And
when we do actions it is the same way. We say I DID THIS 'to/for' someone.
And we then wait to see how they RESPOND to us. But was it ever really about
us?
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God loved us first. Yet
we want to decrease or increase His love based on HOW WE ARE today. We
turn our hearts away from His love as if that could stop that love from
being. The sunset shines because GOD PUT IT THERE; it is the expression of
HIMSELF. It is beauty to us IF WE CHOSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT! His love is
shed abroad to all mankind through the shed blood of Christ. The hues of
red are spread across the spiritual heavens, mixed with the light of His
purity, and streaked with the golden beauty of His glory. And we stand on
the shore of that revelation doing what? Do we even really see how
marvelous it really all is?
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Sometimes I wonder why we
spend so much time thinking about ourselves; ourselves in relation to
others, ourselves in relationship to ourselves, ourselves in relation to
demons, ourselves in relationship to circumstances. Does a surfer analyze
the waves while he rides them? Or does he not rather concentrate on the
ride? Does the mountain climber analyze the mountain as he climbs to see
what each jut is doing to him, or rather what he is going to do with each
jut. Isn’t the experience more important than the analysis?
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I see humans acting like
giant dump trucks attempting to pour fill dirt into vast holes; in order to
somehow feel more solid. Is it because we are looking into our own void too
much? Couldn’t we just stop and stand on the edge of the hole, back turned
to the precipice of darkness, holding the hand of the Creator, looking at
the beauty of His love demonstrated in the expression of His creative power?
Isn’t that our choice? Isn’t that what ‘free will’ is for?
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* * * * * * * *
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I stood looking into the
spirit. The sky was covered with glittery silver and painted with hues of
blue and gold. It was the beginning of the new day. My heart rose to
consider… how little my life on earth really mattered now that I was home.
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© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M.
10/17/1999
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10/24/99
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WHY IS IT?
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Why is it that if we do
not hear from a friend for a week or two we feel anxiety, but if we do not
hear from God for a year we are okay with that?
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Why is it that we will
make sure to tell our mate how much we love them several times in the day,
but we only tell God we love Him on rare occasion?
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Why is it that we have
time for all our favorite activities (sports, media, reading, the arts,
boating, etc.) but cannot seem to find time to kneel before the Creator of
all that we enjoy?
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Why is it that we will
spend hours searching for that perfect outfit, perfect furniture, perfect
house, perfect book, perfect car, and so forth, but we will not spend the
hours to seek for that perfect set of spiritual gifts of the Spirit of God.
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Why is it that we feel
such compassion, guilt, and sorrow over the beggar on the street corner, and
yet we feel nothing for the spiritually emaciated who pass by us in the
halls every day?
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Why is it that we will
loose sleep over the loss of a friend, the death of a relative, or the
termination of a job, but we will not loose sleep over the loss of God's
callings in our life, or the death of our relationship with God?
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Why is it that we will
tear the cupboards of the kitchen apart looking for the exact food that will
satisfy our cravings of taste and hunger, but we will not search the cabinet
of the scriptures for the verses which would fill our hungry soul?
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FIND THE ANSWER AND YOU
WILL CHANGE!
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© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M.
10/24/1999
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10/31/99
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DUTY. DESIRE. These are two things that every human being MUST live by.
Most of us have become DESIRE ONLY Christians; we spend our spiritual
portion of our days PETITIONING. But the men and women of God who have done
the greatest works for God had a STRONG SENSE OF DUTY.
Duty is NOT dirty. Doings are rewarded by the Lord!
Desire is NOT depravity speaking. Without desire we would have NO ZEAL
and no hope.
Obedience, Faithful, Endurance,
Overcoming, These are all actions based on
DUTY.
Surrender, Love, Hope, Faith,
Willingness, These are the things of DESIRE.
Set your affections on things Above (in the Heavens).
But make sure that you perform all your vows BELOW (here on Earth).
What is a CALLING? Is it a feel good thing? Or is it the Master summoning
a Servant/disciple to the doing of a task?
When Jesus left the Earth, He did not say to his disciples: "And if
you like what you have seen for the last 3 years, and it made you feel good,
and it gave you goose-bumps, and made you smile, THEN GO AND PREACH TO ALL
NATIONS." There is a reason why so many of His words are in the imperative
mood; the mood of COMMAND. Commanders command subordinates who
have a duty to perform all that the commander has spoken. HE IS THE HEAD!
Americans today have no clue what a HEAD is. They think a head is merely
a FIGURE! (Hence the word Figure-head is applied to Queens and Kings). And
in the 'democracy'-minded a leader is someone who must follow THE VOTE OF
ALL OUR OPINIONS. But Christ is not so - the body of Christ IS THE EXTENSION
OF HIMSELF! And HE feels a very strong DUTY to God the Father! He wants to
only speak and show what the Father wants to speak and show. AND WE SHOULD
TOO.
If you are having a DUTY problem, then ask God for healing, deliverance,
and freedom. There have been many a Christian who was able to become a
'cheerful giver' to the spiritual work of God once God set them free in this
area. And love will EASILY flow (follow) when we do not hold grudges against
Him for the fact that we need to obey.
He is not just a wish-granter. He is a LOVING MONARCH who has all power,
resources, and jurisdiction to GIVE to those who live by the HAND OF THE
LORD. Give yourself to The Holy Spirit. Kneel. Bow. Rise. Turn. Go. AND SEE
IF HE WILL NOT CONTINUE TO BLESS THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS. Desire HIM! See if
that won't get you the PRESENCE, the REST, and THE COMFORT to do all that
the Lord has put before you.
© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M. 10/31/1999 |
