SQUINTING EYES IN A DARK CELLAR!
WE DO NOT SEE THINGS AS THEY ARE --- WE SEE THINGS AS WE ARE!
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com ( I do this in two parts, or you have to delete parts of it…)
I have a pair of binoculars. (Binoculars is to see with both eyes) to focus telescopically, magnify, to see in the distance.
MICROSCOPE: TO TAKE SMALL THINGS AND VIEW THEM MORE CLEARLY TO SEE MUCH LARGER.
I have a cumcumber, leek, onion, garlic… to represent CARNALITY. (The belly)
I love to listen to people pray. LORIE VANNUCCI USED THIS LINE ON A REGULAR BASIS. “LORD, I MAGNIFY YOU!”
I ALWAYS PONDER THAT IN MY HEART AND I OFTEN PRAY THAT. I never really understood, “LORD, I MAGNIFY YOU!”
HOW CAN YOU MAKE GOD ANY BIGGER THAN HE ALREADY IS?
I HAD A FRIEND NAMED FRANK GERMANCERI. I heard him use that line: “LORD, I MAGINFY YOU!” I heard him say: WHEN YOU MAGNIFY SOMETHING, YOU DO NOT CHANGE IT’S SIZE, YOU CHANGE HOW BIG YOU SEE IT.
Wow, that is it: WHEN I FOCUS ON THE AWESOMENESS OF GOD, IT IS MY LENS I AM LOOKING THROUGH. Do I see with my lens or the WORD OF GOD’S LENS? Awesomeness is our God!
We can view things CARNALLY or TEMPORAL?
Or we can see through the lens of ETERNITY? What is eternity?
My Dad always closed his prayers with this little phrase: LIVE WITH ETERNITIES VALUES IN VIEW FOR THERE IS TOO MUCH TO GAIN TO LOSE.
WHAT MATTERS TO THE CARNAL? FLESH? THE ETERNAL? THE SPIRIT?
Have we ever heard the INDIAN’S CREED: don’t judge me until you have walked a mile in my moccasins?
Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Matthew 7:1 (MSG) "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. 2 That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.
PERSPECTIVE: the capacity to mentally view things in their true relationships, a mental view, how we see things from our point of view.
Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
IF YOU LIVE SQUINTY EYED IN A DARK CELLAR…
We can view things with CARNAL or TEMPORAL eyes…
Or we can see through the lens of eternity.
My Dad always closed his prayers with this little phrase: LIVE WITH ETERNITIES VALUES IN VIEW FOR THERE IS TOO MUCH TO GAIN TO LOSE.
Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22 (MSG) "Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. 23 If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dark cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
WHAT DO WE REMEMBER? WE TEND TO LOOK THROUGH OUR LENS, OUR EXPERIENCES, OUR PERSPECTIVES? WE TEND TO BLAME THE 40 YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS ON HAPPENSTANCE? OTHER PEOPLE? FATE?
Just think how patient God was with all the complaining, belly aching, murmuring of STUBBORN and ANGRY PEOPLE. Many of the people longed to return to Egypt…
Numbers 11:5 5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
IN ONE NIGHT GOD GOT HIS PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT? HOW MANY YEARS DID IT TAKE TO GET EGYPT OUT OF THE PEOPLE?
God opened a rock in the desert to supply water for 2 million people?
God fed the people with MANNA that came down twice a day for 40 years? HOW MANY TONS OF FOOD DID THAT TAKE A DAY? DOUBLE ON THE SABBATH DAY?
PERSPECTIVE? MOSES: WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND?
The rod and the staff can bring discipline or comfort?
Exodus 4:2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
Exodus 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
DID THE ROD CHANGE? OR DID MOSES PERSPECTIVE CHANGE?
EVERY COMMON BUSH IS AFLAME, BUT ONLY HE WHO SEES IT
HEAR THE STILL SMALL VOICE? WHAT LENS SHALL WE LOOK THROUGH… WHERE SHALL WE INVEST?
IS THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING, OR ARE WE CONFUSED THAT OUR OPINIONS EQUAL GOD’S WORD?
We had a dear friend go through a TERRIBLE CRISIS. He started coming to church. So this man came to church very faithfully. One morning he took me for a ride in his truck. He informed me this was his last time to attend church. I was broken, he was a good man, a talented man and he added so much to our team. I was shocked. I asked him: WHY?
He explained to me that his foundation in spiritual life came from his precious Grandmother. So I listened to what he was saying. HE SAID: GRANDMA ALWAYS TAUGHT ME WHEN YOU WERE IN A CRISIS, GO TO CHURCH AND TRUST THE LORD. His crisis brought him to church. There he found God and a solution to his problems.
As we rode down the road, he went on to say: GRANDMA, TAUGHT ME ONCE YOU MAKE IT THROUGH YOUR PROBLEMS, YOU DO NOT NEED TO ATTEND CHURCH AT ALL. He was walking through life through the LENS or PERSPECTIVE THAT HIS BLESSED GRANNY TAUGHT HIM. She knew the Bible well. He trusted her teaching. She knew “THE TRUTH” and had taught him well.
He had his large print Bible in the truck. I asked him could I use his Bible? I thought WOW, GRANNY, WHERE DID YOU GET THIS LESSON? That God was a spare tire and not a steering wheel? We just come to church when we are in a need? So I turned HIS BIBLE TO HEBREWS and started reading?
Hebrews 10:25 (KJV) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25 (NLT) And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:25 (MSG) not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
HE LISTENED TO ME? He agreed with “WHAT SAITH THE WORD OF GOD.” But that was for them back in Bible days, not for us. I went on to explain: AS YOU SEE THAT DAY APPROACHING, the second coming of the Lord.
I also explained AS THE MANNER OF SOME IS TO PLAY HOOKY AND SKIP CHURCH. My heart broke: GRANDMOTHER’S TEACHING BYPASSED THE WORD OF GOD. Her perspective dominated his belief system. Church was for weak people having troubles. I LOST THE BATTLE. I could not change the lens and perspective of years of teaching? Do you “HAVE TO” GO TO CHURCH? PERSPECTIVE I WANT TO BE A CANDLE FOR THE LORD…
Where is the lens: I LOVE GOD, I LOVE HIS HOUSE… “I GET TO”
LET US LOOK THROUGH THE LENS OF: “GOT TO” (HAVE TO) VS “GET TO” (WANT TO)
TRAVEL WITH ME TO CHINA… LET MET WANT TO AT AN EXPENSE COST?
There was a 22 year old EVANGELIST IN CHINA. He loved to preach in the house churches. See China only allows government –sanctioned churches. Prayer meetings are forbidden and carries great punishment. China has been for many years bulldozing churches and house churches and the people suffer greatly to attend prayer meetings.
*** LAI MAN PENG felt God call him to preach. He loved going to house churches. He did not have to, he wanted to tell China about Jesus. LAI MAN PENG was arrested with a few four preachers by the Public Security Bureau as a threat to the nation.
In front of the congregation LAI and several other preachers were beaten by the special trained with big clubs of wood and metal. They beat them and blood and bruises appeared all over their bodies. Bones were scattered. After the beating, the officers gave the CLUBS TO CHURCH MEMBERS and made them beat their preachers. There was great pain from the officers and then from their friends… The people had no choice. The four preachers lay in big puddles of blood. Lai was so badly beaten that the officers never even bothered to arrest him, they released him.
LAI tried to walk several miles to his house … LAI WAS SO WEAK, HE HAD LOST SO MUCH BLOOD, HE HAD BROKEN RIBS, ARMS AND LEGS. LAI NEVER MADE IT HOME. HIS BODY WAS FOUND LAYING IN THE DIRT BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD…
PREACHER LAI, 22 YEARS OLD WOULD NEVER BETRAY JESUS. HE DID NOT HAVE TO DIE, HE GAVE HIMSELF TO THE CROSS OF JESUS…. AND WE HAVE IT TOUGH… OUR PROBLEMS FORCE US TO FOCUS ON THE CARNAL AND WE REFUSE TO SEE THE ETERNAL….
THIS PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS IS THE NORM IN CHINA…
AMENESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORTS CHRISTIANS ARE SUFFERING AROUND THE WORLD… WE IN THE USA ARE BLESSED WITH FREEDOM OF CHOICE --- CARNAL OR ETERNAL.
It has been reported of Christian women being hung by their thumbs for days, and as the people walk by them they hit them with sticks and throw rocks as hard as they can. They were caught at prayer meetings at little local churches. Christian that die to go to church.
I read a report of people are not allowed to have food or water --- AS THEY ARE MADE PUBLIC EXAMPLES AND ARE BEATEN WITH RODS. The Islamic men use ELECTRICAL PROBES and slow apply the electric current until their bodies burn and death is finally a welcome guest? THEY DO NOT HAVE TO SERVE THEIR CHURCH AND PRAY… THEY WANT TO…
AS WE CRY FOR CUCUMBERS, GARLIC, ONIONS AND LEAKS? WOW?
WE HAVE A KENTUCKY MISSIONARY the serves alone in an ISLAMIC RULED NATION. The radical leaders in the community gathered a group of men in the community square and make the families watch. They asked the first man ALLAH or Jesus? He declared ALLAHU AKBAR… WHICH MEANS ALLAH IS THE GREATEST and they released him. The second man was asked and he declared ALLAH. The third man was from the local church. He looked at his family. His dear sweet wife looked on as they asked her husband if he loved Jesus. He raised up his shirt sleeve to reveal a cross, he looked at his wife and children one more time and the CUT THE TATOO OFF HIS ARM. BLOOD WAS RUNNING DOWN HIS ARM. His last words to his family was NEVER QUIT AND STAY WITH THE CHURCH.
The missionary owns a car and helps transport people to and from the hospital. There was a call a man and his family needed a ride home. She went to the hospital and the family crawled into her car. She remembered well his face as he was the man that cut her church members head off. She smiled and helped the man get to his home.
Wow, the tattoo of the cross spoke to the whole community. Our missionary faces great danger, all the other missionaries left the country. She serves Jesus in the midst of enemies of the cross.
We have Kentucky missionaries in EGYPT… THE NAME OF JESUS places them in great danger… Mohammed the prophet has twisted the truth. Read your paper they are destroy church buildings. They surround a church as the people were worshipping and set the church on fire. If the people came out they would shot them. They chose to stay in the church. I am told you could hear them singing about the cross… They got louder and louder. They didn’t have to go to go to church, they gladly sang they got to suffer as Jesus did.
Let us go to PAKISTAN… Pakistan has passed what they call the BLASPHEMY LAW THT FORBIDS ANY NEGATIVE STATEMENT AGAINST MOHAMMED THE PROPHET. The punishment for talking about JESUS and refusing ISLAM is the DEATH PENALY. A 12 year old child was tried and found guilty for speaking against Mohammed and speak about the love of God and praising Jesus. The 12 year old child was sentence to be tortured and die. The cry of the world force Pakistan to reconsider. Somehow the child was released and had to be hidden in a western country. If the authorities find him they will kill him.
The worse country in the world to harass, persecute and kill Christians is the SUDAN. The SUDAN’s Islamic government has laws that force, demand and require force all to serve the ISLAMIC FAITH, ALLAH AR BAR… They say ALLAH AR BAR AS THEY BEHEAD PEOPLE TIED AND ON THEIR KNEES. Islamic people kill in the name of ALLAH AKBAR.
Moslem soldiers are known for super skills in fighting battles. They fight for God. They love their MOSQUE AND PRAYER TIMES. I went into a gas station at Horse Cave Kentucky and the man was prostrate in the floor on his prayer rug, a note said: Facing MECCA, in prayer I will be with you in a minute. (3 times a day. Wow! NEVER HEARD OF A CHRISTIAN.
Have you heard from the KORAH “ALL MUSALMANS SHOULD UNITE TOGETHER AND CONSIDER THE ANNIHILATION OF INFIDELS AS A SACRED DUTY… and we fuss about tithing and church attendance? Muslim soldiers are known for their superior skills in combat… they live ALLAH AR BAR… WE LIVE FOR THE CARNAL ELEMENTS OF LIFE… I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY?
PERSPECTIVE? UNDERSTANDING CARNAL VS ETERNAL? I CALL LENS DRINKING POISON.WHAT LENS OR PERSPECTIVE DO I DAILY LIVE? AM I BOUNCY TIGGER? AM I NEGATIVE EEYORE?
The symbol of CARNALITY is the BELLY, STOMACH…
Tigger says SMILE.
Eeyore thinks that is stupid to suggest to another to SMILE. Eeyore says, THAT IS FAKE!
Tigger says: FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT… HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE. YOUR MOOD IS A CHOICE!
Eeyore, I KNOW MY MOOD IS MY CHOICE, BUT I WILL MAKE WHAT EVER CHOICE I DESIRE AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT…
WE MAKE THE CHOICES TO DRINK POISON THEN WONDER WHY THE WORLD IS SO HARD…
ETERNITY LIES AHEAD AT 1440 MINUTES A DAY--- ARE WE READY…
Conclusion: some live in the victory and have great victory.
WHILE SOME NEVER TASTE THE VICTORY ON THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER OF LIFE. It is OK.
Speak of the terrible scars. So what SCARS MEAN YOU SURVIVE… YOU LIVED THROUGH THE BATTLE.
Hebrews 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
HEY, MY FRIEND THIS TWISTED JOURNEY THAT OFFERS ANGER AND BITTERNESS AND DRINKING POISON ALSO OFFERS.
DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE HUMPTY DUMPTY?
DO YOU FEEL THE LONG DARK NIGHT WILL NEVER END?
Do you think there is no end to this hurt?
God knows how that person treated you? Don’t seek revenge, God can handle this?
Is the guilt and anger poisoning and crushing you?
Will I be burned out in the heat of this battle?
Will the winds of the big bad wolf blow your house down?
The pain is terrible, will I ever feel good again? Am I lonely? Empty? In fear and worry?
THIS VALLEY IS JUST A MOUNTAIN UPSIDE DOWN? This valley is temporary?
I always have a mountain top experience? Yes, sir, I am on top of the mountain or the mountain is on top of me.
WE TEND TO LOOK AT OUR PROBLEMS AND TRIALS THROUGH OUR LENS, OUR EXPERIENCES, OUR PERSPECTIVES? WE TEND TO BLAME THE 40 YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS ON HAPPENSTANCE? OTHER PEOPLE? FATE?
Just think how patient God was with all the complaining, belly aching, murmuring of STUBBORN and ANGRY PEOPLE. Many of the people longed to return to Egypt… CUCUMBERS AND LEEKS?
SURE WE HAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW, WHY FEAR?
GOD IS WITH US: EMMANUAL
GOD MUST REALLY LOVE HIS PEOPLE --- THINK ABOUT THE GRACE, MERCY AND PARDON THE ALPHA & OMEGA, THE FIRST AND THE LAST BRINGS …
WHEN WE STAND WITH OUR FEET IN THE FLOODED AND COLD WATERS OF THE RIVER OF JORDON… WE NEED NOT FEAR…
DEATH CAN NEVER SEVER WHAT THE CROSS UNITES… WE WILL NEVER BE SEPARATED AGAIN: TOGETHER FOREVER.
FOR I AM PERSUADE THAT NEITHER DEATH…
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD, TAKE DELIGHT IN THE ETERNAL… MAY THE LORD BUILD ARE WANT TO TO BE CONSUMED AS A CANDLE GIVING ITSELF FOR THE LIGHT.
DOES NOT OUR HEARTS BURN WITHIN US?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is too much information for one lesson… I do it in 2 parts…. Please pass this to another?
