|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

Luke 12:15 NKJV — And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” It's impossible to serve God and mammon. It will wear you out, because man wasn't meant to live two lives. Everyone picks what they live for. In my life I've lived for myself by making my life about career, family, recreation, nature, sports, music, and church... Yes, even church I made about me! In 2011, the Lord showed me how I had made my life entirely about me by creating the seemingly perfect mix of all these things ^ Although it gave me a fairly ideal "American" life, it left me very dull towards God's leadership. In 2011, I learned the secret to giving myself fully to God. I haven't yet achieved it, but I began a journey that changed everything. Philippians 3:12 NKJV — Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus

The cares of this life are a snare in the days leading up to the return of Yeshua. The cares of this life are a great temptation BECAUSE of the shaking of everything shakeable. The more God reveals instability in the world, the more tempted we are to shore up what seems unstable. This is what it means to fail the test coming upon the whole earth. We have to find the one stable thing. A new day is dawning. Noah preached righteousness to an entire generation by doing something so otherworldly! Luke 17:26-30 NKJV — “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: “They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; “but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. “Even so will

The parable of the sower is about how I hear. Listen: Luke 8:11-18 NKJV — “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. “But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. “Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not

Yeshua doesn't just show people the gate they need to walk through. He is also the way to walk through it. The narrow road that few will find is sanctification by asking and receiving. Yeshua did nothing on His own. His Father provided everything He needed for a life of good works. The beauty of what Yeshua was willing to do is that He came in the flesh. He let Himself be born vulnerable, weak... human! An antichrist Spirit denies this basic truth: 1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (2) By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, (3) and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. Yeshua then "sanctified himself" which mea

I t's important to understand the humility required to watch for the return of Yeshua and still be faithful as though it were occurring. It is promised to be harder to see the nearer it becomes. At midnight a cry goes out. Lamps are trimmed. Some believers won't have the oil necessary to see. Jesus is selecting those who are found fruitful at His appearing. Not fruitful the way the flesh would assume. No. Prophetic and full of authority to tell the other servants the right things at just the right time, called "food in due season" in the Mat 24 passage below. You have to know the time in faith not by eyesight. This is a warning and a promise to all spirit-filled believers. All servants. This isn't a warning to "the world" and a promise to those who believe. This warning and promise is all about, and only about, those who believe, just like the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids: Matthew 24:44-51 NKJV — “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is c

If God gives you something, no one can take it away. Psalm 37:1-9 NKJV — A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. I've found this to be true over and over in my life. The yoke of Yeshua is easy and His burden is light

Faith + Joy > Hope Faith and joy are the basis of hope.   Romans 5:1-5 NKJV — Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. The faith the Bible describes is confidence in God's character, not in outcomes.  Confidence God will keep His word, even though we don't exactly understand how.   This faith produces humility in our hearts. T he fleshy alternative to Biblical faith... The one you can grit your teeth and eek out...  is certainty in an outcome.  Believing 'what we think God will do to perform His word' is not really the fa

A Palestinian friend recently said to me, "until there is peace from the heart, there won't really be peace." What he was saying, as we talked more, is that we have to learn to see each other as people God made. Allowing better access to resources or power, sharing land, dividing what we have... Being more fair... These don't make for peace. There is always a perceived power differential that keeps people feeling oppressed on both sides. Power, whether given or withheld, can't make peace. Caring about another person's life. That makes peace. It's only possible in the power of grace. Loving enemies... Not just accommodating them. Blessing those who curse. Praying for those that use you. Walking away from fear. Perfect love casts out fear. Peace in Israel is macro... It's a symptom of a spiritual problem, not the problem itself. The solution will come from inside the micro, not the other way around. We all have conflicts. We all need peace. As w

Prophecy that appeals to the flesh is false prophecy, but all prophecy can provoke the flesh. The prophesied thing may happen, but if it empowers my flesh it's resisting my faith! The flesh and my faith cannot grow together. One has to die. For this reason, prophecy isn't supposed to be something I hear and then sit back like Jonah over Nineveh to see if God does it or not. No! Prophecy should get me talking and watching with God (watch and pray) so our connection grows as His word is fulfilled in a way that requires FAITH for me to see. Galatians 5:16-21 NKJV — I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery,

Samantha and I often have the privilege of visiting the Temple Mount and seeing what is left of the Second Temple. Not much. The Second Temple had become corrupted by greed, and the entire religious system had become an external expression with no internal leadership of God. Yeshua was clear about why the Temple would be destroyed. The house was left desolate because Israel could not discern the heart of God enough to recognize it in Yeshua. Specifically, in His: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and His self control. This is because they were serving God, but wanting something else. They wanted what God could give them, not wanting God to give them Himself. The service of the temple carried on generation to generation, but the interior effect of the temple service stopped penetrating the heart of the people. What was a house of prayer became a den of selfishness... Thievery. Look at how God judges the house of prayer: Matthew 21:12-14 NKJ