There are six things the Lord hates—
    no, seven things he detests:
¹⁷ haughty eyes,
    a lying tongue,
    hands that kill the innocent,
¹⁸ a heart that plots evil,
    feet that race to do wrong,
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies,
    a person who sows discord in a family – Proverbs 6:16-19

There are certain things that the Lord just does not like, in fact it says here He HATES these things. Most of us would read these and just pass over them thinking “I’m not like this at all, I’m a good person” but really take some time on each one and ask the Lord to search your heart, bring to your memory how you are in each area. I did this and I am even ashamed to write any of these out in my personal life. Most are just little things we do daily and do not even think about. By the way the last one that says “sows discord in a family” applies to work, school, circle of friends etc….

For me personally I’m going to begin my day asking the Lord to help me in each one of these area’s – at this moment I feel ashamed thinking I’m all that, I am living a “sin-free” life and all of my actions are pleasing to the Lord!!!

The WORD is good….. it has the power to change a man.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

²¹ For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,
    examining every path he takes.
²² An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
    they are ropes that catch and hold him.
²³ He will die for lack of self-control;
    he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

This is such a powerful chapter and these last 3 verses sum up the entire chapter. The writer is talking about a man’s sexual life… about a man’s wife and about keeping yourself to your wife and wife ONLY throughout your life. He is teaching his sons about what happens when a man follows and goes to the home of an immoral woman. It KILLS the man, it KILLS a marriage, it KILLS relationships in the family unit and it KILLS a relationship with the not to mention what it does at the work place, school and every other area of life. This is true for men and women.

The world has changed, even though sex outside of marriage has always been a problem in this world today it’s accepted and even deemed OK and part of life. The culture would say “don’t allow “religion” to put your in bondage” when the truth is boundaries bring FREEDOM. It is very hard to watch a movie or tv show without someone stepping out on someone….. and today every show/movie has to have homosexual sex in them to stay relevant with the time/culture.

Listen to me… I have lived on both sides of this fence and it is DEATH.

These last 3 verses say it all… and for me it’s the ONLY way to live.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.

Look straight ahead,
    and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet;
    stay on the safe path.
²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked;
    keep your feet from following evil. ~ Proverbs 4:25-27

This section of Scripture spoke to me in some very deep ways. It is so easy for me to take my eyes off of the path that I’m on, the road the Lord is leading me down, “the highway of holiness” – It is so easy to be distracted by so many things and trip up in my life.

For me these days I have to make it a daily thing to find my resting place in Him. I have to remind myself daily that I cannot be trusted with my life. I have proven over and over again when it comes to this. I need Him every minute of every day. He is my refuge, my hiding place, my safety, my place of rest. It is there that I can hear truth, it is there where my spirit and my flesh separate, it is there that my heart is full and I’m content.

So very thankful for these words of wisdom

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!!

21My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.
    Hang on to them,
²² for they will refresh your soul.
    They are like jewels on a necklace.
²³ They keep you safe on your way,
    and your feet will not stumble.
²⁴ You can go to bed without fear;
    you will lie down and sleep soundly. ~ Proverbs 3:21-24

This entire chapter is so powerful and speaks so deeply into my heart, but this one section is the “one” that jumped out to me this morning.

The word says “do not lose sight of……..” it is so easy to lose sight of the things we know, love, believe and live by. The situations we end up in sometimes takes our eyes off the reality of life. But the writer says that common sense and discernment will REFRESH your soul, keep you safe and keep your feet from stumbling and probably the best one of all and I know everyone will agree with me if we do not lose sight of common sense and discernment “you will lie down and sleep soundly”

So what is common sense? —

Common sense is a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things, which is shared by (“common to”) nearly all people, and can be reasonably expected of nearly all people without any need for debate.

What the writer is talking about is so much deeper than just “common sense” through the eyes of the world for that is ever changing — but through the Spirit and the POWER of the living God. It’s born our of a relationship with the Father. Remember chapter 1 — GOD BREATHED wisdom etc.

Oh God how I need you in every aspect of my life!!! I need your wisdom, common sense, discernment in all things, as a man, a father, a grandfather, a worker, a minister, with my finances, in my marriage —

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

 

Proverbs 2:7011: He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
    He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
⁸ He guards the paths of the just
    and protects those who are faithful to him.

Last Sunday my pastor threw out a challenge to the church. He asked us to pick a book of the Bible and read a chapter a day, then journal what the Lord is speaking through that chapter, maybe just one verse and how it affects our lives. I read the Word daily but I do not always journal so I accept the challenge.

As I was praying on what to read/study in the Bible I heard a small voice, I’m thinking is this your God…..? But no it was my brother, Cary Nethaway. A few months ago we had a conversation and he was speaking to me about the book of Proverbs, Now I’ve read this book I can’t even count how many times, but Cary was telling me how if we just lived our lives by the wisdom found in proverbs life would be GOOD. He was telling me how he applies it to his life and he sends his children scriptures to use when they need to make a decision or they need wisdom in a situation. SO, Proverbs it is!!! Today chapter one….

There were 2 chunks of Scripture that hit me this morning…. right out of the gate  Proverbs 1:1-4

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
    to help them understand the insights of the wise.
³ Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
    to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
⁴ These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
    knowledge and discernment to the young.

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Last night during our prayer service I was reading the book of Ezekiel and I had a revelation about reaching people. Over and over again he says “the spirit of the Lord spoke to me” or “the word of the Lord come to me saying…”  Over and over again the Lord told him he was sending into a place to speak to a rebellious people. God tells him that more than likely they will not listen to him and that they may reject him, hurt him. He let him know with no uncertain terms that this was not going to be a fun mission.

Yet, God told him that if he did not tell them that their blood would be on his hands. OUCH!! He also let him know that he would be free of it and his life would be delivered.

“Now as for you, son of man, I have ^[b]appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a ^[c]message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. ⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. ⁹ But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life” Ezekiel 33:7-9

God made it very clear NOT to speak until He instructed him to speak, he even went so far as to give him instructions to go into the house, tie himself up so he could not leave and go among them. God also said that he would make his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth so he we be mute and COULD NOT SPEAK until God wanted him to speak.

“I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people” Ezk 3:26

God was sending Ezekiel to the house of Israel…. but before he sent him God prepared him. He had Ezekiel spend MUCH time interceding for them… praying for them. God had him strengthen his body, mind and Spirit before he was allowed to go. And the most important thing was He made Ezekiel wait until GOD SPOKE IT, until God said GO!!! Not a moment before or a moment after…. but when God speaks it…..

In every church they all have the same vision, to reach the city, reach the world they are in. And this is the CORRECT vision I believe is the very heart of God. We are to reach a lost and hurting world. So plans are made, money raised and people mobilized to go go go….. and we see some results. But for the most part within the churches it is difficult, always trying to find leaders, helpers, time and of course MONEY to make it happen. It’s labeled “outreach ministry” or something else, now days the churches try to use different names for it so it does not sound so “churchy” so it’s not threatening to the community. I think that the hearts are right but most of it is done in the flesh because it is how it is suppose to be!! I mean what kind of a church would it be with no outreach to the world?

So, here is what the Lord showed me during prayer 3/14/2015

A church (a group of people who follow God) in any city has a purpose and that purpose is to reach people to introduce them to Jesus with the goal of leading them into Salvation. WE ALL know that we (the church) cannot save a soul. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that can bring a man into salvation, clean them and give them a new heart. So if that is true it is a “Spiritual” experience not a flesh experience. In other words it ALL takes place in the spiritual realm.

If this is true it seems to me that churches would be much better off dropping their “program” and enter into a time of preparation. Outreach is not a program it should be our DNA. The church should spend time…..

1. Hearing God’s voice, what is it He wants us to do, what is it He wants us to say and what is the message He wants to give them. I do believe that God will give this direction to the leaders of the church and it is their job to invite, educate, and bring in the congregation to join in with them. THIS IS THE PURPOS OF THIS CHURCH mentality. Can the purpose and vision change season to season … YES YES YES

2. Preparing by interceding for the people He gives us to go to….. God had Ezekiel intercede in some very strange ways but by the time it was done Ezekiel was chomping at the bit to get out there, his love and compassion for the people God called him to was to a point that HE had to speak and could not wait…..

“Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side” Ezk 4:4

Ezekiel who is called the “son of man” acts out, or walks in visions in his prophecy. A most intriguing event is recorded in Chapter 4. He lays on his left side for 390 days and then on his right side for 40 days

This is GOD called, not man made

3. KNOWING and HEARING God’s voice in this …. DO NOT GO until he says GO!!!! If we go before God speaks it, everything we do will be in vain…..but if we really hear His voice (Spiritual experience) when He says go….. there is NO doubt in my mind that lives will be changed, healed, restored, addictions broken, everything I mean everything changed in lives. There will also be ones who will fight and resist but if we are moving we will have the right words to say and know what NOT to say.

Can you imagine a church that spends majority of it’s time interceding for those who call has called them to? Can you imagine the UNITY that would take place in a church? Can you imagine the lives that would be changed over the years? Can you imagine a church that poured it’s resources into one thing…..can you imagine a church that the only purpose they had was to reach a world for Jesus not to grow a church?

A church with ONE focus and one focus only… REACHING PEOPLE.

Let’s be world changers…….let’s get out of “church” mentality and get into “people” mentality.

 

In November of 2014 the Lord started speaking to me about fasting in 2015….I wasn’t sure why or what I was to seek or what He wanted to show me, but I kept pressing in to seek some answers. In December I felt led to do a year long fast. Even after making that choice I was not sure why. I felt for the most part it was for me to have discipline over my body, mind etc…. and I do believe that is a very big part of it.

Today begins the 3rd month of this journey, I have had NO spiritual breakthroughs, no great insights, no new revelations but I have been faithful to this fast.

When I was pastoring and would fast I had a hard time understanding why it was so hard for other to fast….I really tried to understand but I just couldn’t grasp why, after all I was going 30 days only water and it was AMAZING!!! LIFE CHANGING!! I wanted everyone to experience it. Well here I am working full time, crazy hours, long hours…..I get church in once a week…. I still get my devotions in daily but it’s a huge change from being in ministry full time. The bottom line I am seeing first hand why it’s so hard to fast when you are in the real world. I hope I didn’t pass judgment on people and lay guilt on people over this in the past. IF I DID I AM SO VERY SORRY….

With all that said, here I am beginning my 3rd month of a year long fast. As I begin this month I feel a deep stirring in my spirit and I am anxious to have this revealed to me. I know the Lord is asking a few things of me and I am pressing in on these issues. He has been so good to me. I stand in awe of the changes He has made in me, the love he has put in me and the LIFE he has given me.

Here is an outline of the fast…..

Jan  ——- Coffee

Feb ——–Deserts/sweets

March—– Bread (hardest one for me)

April —— Breakfast

May ——–Lunch

June ——- Dinner

July ——– Coffee

August —– Deserts/Sweets

Sept. ——– Bread

Oct. ——— Breakfast

Nov.——— Lunch

Dec. ——— Deserts/Sweets (Christmas time)

A week ago or so I had this dream and it has stuck with me. I only remember bits and pieces of it so i’ll do the best I can to retell it…..

In this dream I was in a pretty large church building and I was preparing to preach the Word….in the past when I was preparing to preach I would always get by myself and go through the sermon a couple times. Usually in my office with the door locked. On this occasion everywhere I went there was a man following me…. I would start preaching and he would yell at me “BARAK BARAK….no no you must get out of the church,….go out of the church… BARAK BARAK” ….. this was taking place over and over again… I stepped into the pulpit to bring the word to the congregation and he was in front of me “BARAK… BARAK…. nooooo take it out of the church….. this is doing no good…. go go … BARAK BARAK”

Each time he spoke he would start with Barak and end with Barak….yelling this to me, pointing his finger at me… not in anger at all but in frustration, desperation. And then I woke up….

I can’t ever remember using this word or even seeing this word before… except of course Barak Obama. But this word stuck with me, I could hear it being screamed at me for hours after I woke up. So I decided to look it up and see what the meaning is. The first time I googled it of course the president came up for pages and pages so I decided I better try another way. So I googled “Barak in the Bible” and Hebrew word Barak” and I started to get some answers… I found a few things…. it means “Blessed, kneel down, and I found one that said lightning bolt… so I left it at that.

That day I told Diane about it and not much was said about this dream. I think she thought I was saying it meant “I was blessed” but that is not how I saw it… I was seeing it as I was to BLESS others. After that day I just kind of dropped it and tried to forget about it….although it was in the back of my mind for days.

Yesterday (Sunday) I woke up and went about my usual business as any other morning, take the dogs out, make coffee, open up FB and scan through and then do my devotions. I was reading a post from a friend I have on FB who has an awesome ministry to street people and someone posted on his post this day one word… and that word was BARAK… and that was it!!! My heart jumped a little and off I went to research it some more. Here is the best meaning I can find….

Barak means “to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration.”

There are quite a few ministries out there with the name “Barak Ministries” all about bringing to healing word of God to a hurting and desperate world…. from what I’ve seen most of them are very prophetic ministries with healing and restoration at the center as the focus. Many a evangelist….

I don’t know what all this means for me, if anything but as of right now I can’t shake it.