|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

The main warning for the end times is to "not be deceived." This warning has little to do with a lack of correct information.  The deception of last days is related to heart attitudes about what God is, or isn't, doing. Matthew 24:42-51 NKJV — “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. “Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. “But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ “and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the d...

There are some things we do and some things God does. Our flesh wants to do God's part and neglect our own part. God will not do our part. He refuses.  We must do our part and we cannot do His part. We make the space in our heart for God's grace by faith.  We believe in what He shows us, tells us, where He leads us... We choose to believe these are good when our flesh says, "no!" We prepare our heart, by choosing to humble ourselves back into our right place with God. If we refuse, we abort God's plans for our good future. God does everything else. *God orchestrates our circumstances, both the North and south wind, to show us our need for Him. *God provides *God heals *God defends *God establishes *God makes us righteous *God makes us aware of His presence *God sets us in families *God teaches us His way *God shares with us His power All of these^ are aborted when we refuse to prepare our heart in truth for grace. Our mouth reveals what's really going on in ou...

A good worldly leader is not a good leader in the body of Messiah. Our flesh wars against the Spirit. This is always the case.  This means in Yeshua's kingdom, our strength can easily be our weakness. Everyone else thinking I'm a great leader doesn't mean God does.  I need to learn to think like God. Paul, when he was Saul, was a very strong worldly leader.  It was only in coming out of that strength that he became a good leader in the body of Messiah: Philippians 3:3-12 NLT — For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Phari...

God evaluates, rewards, and judges character in our closest relationships. The flesh tries to look righteous to the world, but cannot fake it with those closest.  Those near us know if we are true or hypocritical.  If we are hypocrites, when the world around us sees our failure, we suddenly feel ashamed, but daily we excuse our hypocrisy to those nearest.  This is the devil's game to keep us the same.. to abort our rebirth. If we possess integrity... If we really are reaching to be changed by God...  those closest to us experience it first. God, then myself, then my wife, my kids, my family, etc. The kingdom comes from the inside out, not the outside in.  It's a faith-based kingdom.  I believe, which means I behold something unseen and believe it about God... The beauty of His holiness... and it begins to change me inside. God sees everything. Do I live before His eyes, or do I hope everyone thinks I am good?  God calls me at my worst, not to condemn m...

As amazing as the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is, the fact that three times crowds tried to kill Jesus and could not is also amazing. In the story of Yeshua's earthly ministry, some of the things we see are: 1. God's love for the world in sending light into the darkness: John 1:9-12 NKJV — That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 2. God's way of putting man back into his rightful place of not trying to be God but learning to be willing to be led by God: Luke 4:3-4 NKJV — And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” 3....

Selfishness will never yield righteousness. Most who claim to follow Yeshua will never find the narrow and difficult road of praying their way out of the selfishness we all inherited from the fall of man in Genesis 3. Almost no one thinks they are selfish.  Almost everyone thinks everyone else is at least a little selfish.  Those two thoughts can't both be right ;) A few will pray their way out of the selfishness we all inherited, though. Those that are not of this world because they prayed their way out of self-saving, selfish ambition, self-improvement, self-leadership, and self-focus (shame and pride) will rule and reign over a selfless kingdom with Jesus for 1,000-years. Matthew 7:11-15 NKJV — “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow g...

The safest and wisest thing a person can be is weak. God made man to be weak. But, not weak and drawing on the people around us. Not weak and drawing on ourselves... No. Weak and trusting in God. The human flesh wants anyone but God to be God.  It mostly wants to be God itself and when that fails, it looks for someone stronger to be it's "God."  God is God. He will not change. He wants man to reconcile the actual role we were given: -Jehovah Jireh: I want to be a good provider for myself and my family. God is the only provider.  Life works better when I settle this and get out of my pride and shame. Hoping others will help me provide is idolatry. It only digs my hole of resisting God deeper. -Jehovah Rapha: I want to be healed when I think it's necessary. God is the only Rapha. He made me, sustains me and heals me as He sees necessary.  Life is better when I lay down all my impatience and seek God for healing and direction for wellness. -Jehovah Shalom: I want to be ...

Reacting to the things happening in the world is what it means to be led into antichrist worship.  The more extreme and unbelievable the changes occurring are, the harder it is to resist reacting.  We can only resist reacting by knowing what is coming and why and preparing in advance. It's why Jesus told Peter to pray in the garden of Gethsemane: so his faith wouldn't fail under the pressure of what was about to happen. Peter reacted. Jesus prophesied. God ALWAYS tells His prophets (Amos 3:4). Revelation 13:3-4 NKJV — And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” It's only those who's names are written in the Lamb's book of life... Those who abide... Those who are prophetically informed of what to do by faith, ...

John 3:6 NKJV — “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Learning to discern between my ideas and God's ideas is the only way to become free from sin and death. Learning to discern between my strength and God's strength is the only way to become free from sin and death. I have to learn to recognize the vision of God's kingdom, the values of it, and choose the power of heaven (the cross is the power of the heavenly kingdom because it gets me out of the way and sets me under God). There is something God wants, and something God doesn't want, from man. If I just read the Bible and try to do what God wants, I will compete with God, not submit to Him. If I Iearn to discern the difference between faith and assumption/presumption, then I can start seeing what God really wants. If I learn to discern where I am tempted to push things I think God wants into being, and instead let Him conform my ways to His own, then I can begin wa...

The last days require a specific victory of those filled with the Holy Spirit: victory over self-leadership and self-saving. Without this victory, I can prophesy in Jesus' name, cast out demons in His name, do wonders... And He will say He never knew me. Yeshua already picked to: -love enemies -bless those who curse Him -pray for those that use Him -follow the father's leadership into the death of His flesh on the cross He invites anyone willing to follow Him. If I don't pick that same victory over the flesh for myself, by spending my time seeing who I really am, seeing who Yeshua really is, and mourning the difference until I am transformed, then I am a false witness of Jesus, not a true one. The more I teach from a place of true heart change... The more I share the true light... The more helpful I am as a true witness.  BUT, to teach about Jesus, talk about Jesus, identify as His while holding on to an anti-Jesus personality, that is the ultimate in being a fals...