Guardians of Life

Go for a walk in the River. You won't ever be the same.

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Celebration of Life

Hey everyone, how are you doing today. I am going to do something a little bit different this time. Today we are going to celebrate the life of someone close to me. You see a few weeks ago my Mother in Law Bernice passed on to her next adventure. She was saved and did love God. Serving Him in many ways. From taking mission trips to Jamaica to just being available to serve in any area that needed help. This alone tells us that she had a servants heart. We all can learn from that. For our Lord is looking for his people to be obedient to Him and serve. Often its not something large or overly complicated just a small task. If you are willing He will use you.

Another thing that was of interest to her were butterflies. She enjoyed planting those plants that would attract them. So if it was flowers or a plant that would naturally attract them she would set them out in areas to thrive. In turn they would be there for the butterflies to land on and such. Similar to us His children. God plants us out in the world to attract others. Being able to offer them eternal life in Christ Jesus. Not only did she do this, but some of her daughters would do what they could to help out the Monarch Butterflies. Starting with the eggs all the way to the butterfly itself. You see the butterfly lays eggs and eventually they hatch. Out comes a caterpillar which eats and eats and eats some more. Then when they get to the proper size they they change into a chrysalis. After a short period of time out comes a butterfly. The chrysalis is basically green in color (My wife would tell me the exact color. But I will stick to green) with a fine line of gold near the top. Green represents life and gold represents riches and splendor. Both of these are representations of Heaven. Its no wonder she liked all this stuff.

Much of her life is a picture of her walk with God. If she knew this or not we don’t know. Along with this is the fact that many of her children walk with God also. All of this points to one who loved God. As for her children , to walk with God is a way of carrying out her legacy. Just that you now have an opportunity to take it further.

Be blessed, Ken

The Group Photo

A little over a week ago as of this writing, I heard from our Lord an interesting word. It goes as follows. “A tree planted on the edge of the woods is not lost.” Hows that for a thought provoking word. At the same time He told me to “come out from the group.” followed by “I’ve called you out.” These words are really easy to understand its the next question that provides a challenge. Its ” where do you want me to go Lord?” Or it may be “what do you want me to do Lord?” If you understand the answer to these questions then how about this one. “What do I do for finances?” I’m sure many of us have asked these questions. Are we patient enough to wait on the answer? Are we listening ?

I’ll get back to the questions later. Now I want to look at the first word. When I received this I pictured an area of a forest. Noticing the trees on the edge. Then these thoughts came to me. The ones on the edge are the first line of defense. Followed by the thought that they have the first opportunity to make a difference. I can identify with these thoughts. For I am one of the Gatekeepers (Ushers) in our church. Our role has expanded greatly over the last couple years. Taking on a security role also. We greet the people first as they come in. We also take notice of what is going on around us. Paying attention to new people. Seeing if they stand out due to appearance or items they have with them. We are the first line of defense. By greeting them we can be the first to make a lasting impression on them.

This first word can be applied to those who go out into the community and share the Gospel. Remember the Great Commission? Go ye into all the world and preach the good news. Those on the edge are the difference makers. If you are saved and just want to go to Heaven then stay in the middle of the group and hide. You can be safe there. No one will notice you. You can blend in and not be seen. This is exactly where I don’t want to be. I want to be a difference maker. I want to be obedient to our Lord and Savior. I will be obedient. Put me on the edge where this can happen.

As for those questions we might ask. I have my challenge with the one on finances. This is taking greater faith. At this moment I have a peace about it, but I due think about it often. I know that I am not the only one asking these questions. Pray with me for faith and answers to be revealed. If you want specific prayer then get in touch with me. I will gladly pray with you. You can do this through the comment section. Through Facebook, Twitter, email or just stopping me and talking to me.

So my encouragement is to have you be on the edge and make a difference. Remember that God will not abandon you. He is right there next to you as you go through it. He has given you the tools you need to accomplish it. And He will give you more when you need them. Just seek Him, ask Him, and knock for the door will be open.

Be blessed, Ken

Windows

This last Sunday while enjoying worship I received a word from our Lord. As it was not appropriate for it to be spoken during service. I wrote it down and saved it for this posting. It went as follows. ” Hear my children, see my children. This day I have set before you a window. A window of opportunity. For I hear your petitions. I know your prayers. I am your answer. I am your opportunity. Therefore do not cover these windows. No curtains. No blinds. No covering. Look and see what I have set before you. This day has been prepared for in advance. Now go and don’t look back.”

This message goes well with the previous posting. Its the next step for many of us. God wants us to be obedient to His ways. He gives us direction and expects us to just say “yes and amen” to Him. Now when we say this, its our time to step out and go. Just like the story of Jesus walking on the water (Matt. 14:22-33). At one point Peter asks if it is the Lord and if so command him to come to Him. So, Jesus says “come.” And Peter walks on the water. Peter didn’t say great answer or that was the correct response. He didn’t stop there and not do anything afterward. No, he stepped out on the water and started walking. This was an opportunity to follow through with his yes and amen. He didn’t say it. He did it.

How many windows of opportunity has our Lord put before us? How many times did we cover them up? How many times have we regretted our actions? These windows are going to come more often for us in the near future. Are we going to say “yes and amen” to them and go to them? It will not be easy by any means. Many times we will be very uncomfortable. This is because we are just not used to it. The more often we do it, the more comfortable we will be. We are being persecuted more now then ever before. So why not give them a reason to do it. Remember that we are to “go into all the world…” talking about Jesus and all that he is. We need to obedient. And this is only one type of opportunity. There may be other ways. Like praying for people. Helping out a needy family. Ministering to the homeless. These are all windows for us to go through and for them to see Jesus through us.

Thank you for reading this. Please be encouraged to share this posting with others. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by. Or worse, don’t cover it up.

Be blessed, Ken

Short and to the Point

Well everyone here is a post that can change you immensely. All you need to do is think and meditate on it. Afterward just let it do its thing. So, are you ready for it. Then here it is. God told me a little while ago that “He is as simple as yes and amen.” There you have it. Thats all there is. its time to go. Good day everyone good bye.

Ok , I am not done . But those words are just so mind boggling. They have gotten me to a point of thought that I just don’t want to get away from. In fear of missing something. We (especially men) tend to make things more complicated then they need to be. We look for reasons or for some justification to take it deeper than it should go. Why do we keep doing this? God hasn’t made it complicated. We have done a fine job of this ourselves.

One person who I believe understood this was the Apostle Paul. He was told to go back to Jerusalem. Everyone at everywhere he stopped told him just about the same thing. That it won’t be good. He will be beaten, mistreated and so on. Yet he still went. Why? To be obedient to what our Lord Jesus told him to do. It was as tho he said “yes and amen.” He was even told not to worry about what to say. That Jesus would speak for him. Give him the words to say. Wow, talk about faith in action.

So why can’t we wrap our minds around this simple thought. Is it because it takes us out of the equation. Requires us to think of Him first and us later. To put God before ourselves. Its not easy to do. And always fun. It requires us to not worry about understanding it. Just to be obedient.

Since the time I received this from our Lord, I have been trying to apply this. For being a servant of our Lord it has made things easier. My attitude about doing things has been better. I’m not thinking about what’s in it for me. I know I’m on the right track because things have gotten better and worse. The enemy of our souls has been attacking more so lately. A good sign that I’m headed the right way. I’ve had more peace and blessings are flowing my way.

At this point I am going to say this. Just say “yes and amen.” Try it . Our Lord won’t disappoint you.

Be blessed, Ken

Real Men

Hello everyone. Here we are in the new year. With the new year should come new thoughts and fresh ideas. Well, not today. We’re going to talk about being a real man. Lately our men’s ministry team is praying for the men of our church body. For it is time that the men are held up in prayer. Its time for a change to take place. The men need to arise and become the men God created us to be. We are to be the wage earners. We are to be the ones children look up to. We are also the priests of our families. We are to be loving and compassionate husbands and fathers. This is just the beginning of who we need to be.

There are some areas we are not living up to. One of these is to be the spiritual leaders of both our families and the church. Many do these, but not enough. It seems like we men are happy with the status quo. ” The women and our wives have enough of God for all of us.” Or another is ” I don’t like to overly express myself. Its not manly.” ” I have an image to maintain.” These are just a few of lies the Devil has been saying to us. When we read the Bible, we read about the men expressing their emotions at times. Like ” Jesus wept” or “they tore their robes and put on sackcloth.” These are examples of men being emotional. They we not afraid to show it.

Today it is hard to find more than a handful of men at the alter praying. Singing the praises of our Lord. Worshiping Him who set us free. How about crying because the Holy Spirit is moving upon you. We cannot be afraid to say yes. Yes, I will let it be known that I am in love with Jesus Christ. Yes, I’m going to be the example of a real man. One that will pray out loud. Sing praises of my Lord for all to hear. And live the life of a real follower of Jesus. Being obedient to Him. Guiding those around me into a closer and more fulfilling life with Jesus. Teaching His word to those who want to hear. Working with the church to bring His message to a lost and dieing world. Supporting those who are the leaders of the church. God created us to be so much more. Lets get started today. Stop sitting down on the job. Stand up and be counted.

Be blessed, Ken

Hammer and Sickle

Good day people this is a fun time of the year. Christmas is rapidly approaching and then the new year. Until then we have today and another word from our Lord and Savior. Yesterday while enjoying worship the Holy Spirit and our Lord started telling me something interesting. It started with the words “hammer and sickle.” My first thought was “what does communism have to do with anything?” Then came the rest of their word. It goes like this. “I am from everlasting to everlasting. I have been, I am and always will be there.Yet you wonder and doubt. Why go there? I say this as my house is in need of work. So, I lay before thee a hammer and sickle. To build and repair. Use my hammer on that which is both physical and spiritual. Build and destroy, repair and demolish. Take my sickle reap. Reap for the harvest is there. Use my sickle to remove that which has grown and does not belong. Cleansing needs to take place before the repairs. The coming year offers new rewards. Be ready. Put yourself in a place to receive these. I the Lord have been, always will be and will forever more be there,”

This prophecy starts out with the constant of our Lord. He doesn’t change and isn’t going anywhere. In the book of Malachi it states the “I the Lord do not change.” Its His steadfastness that we need. From there we read about some of the body having doubts about God. With the way some churches and people are, its no wonder why they feel this way. Nothing new happens in their lives. The church does the same thing time after time with no change. The buildings are in disrepair. Looking like worn out structures and no one to care for them. This is a shame. At this point our Lord gives us the way to make changes. He is giving us a hammer and sickle to use. Nothing to do with other beliefs or political stances. These are tools He wants us to use and to use them properly. One of the proper ways is to use them for cleansing. Our Lord said to demolish, remove and cleanse. Demolish walls and barriers we have built up to insulate ourselves from people and from getting hurt. These walls etc. are things we have built because of a need for comfort. Even worshiping them to a degree. Remember this. Our God is a jealous God. We are to have no other gods before thee. They must come down.

He also told us to remove. Use the sickle to get rid of that which doesn’t belong. I had a thought of using the sickle to remove the weeds and brush that are in the way. Then we will be able to clearly see the harvest. yes there will be the weeds in the harvest. But those can be taken out after the harvest. This cleansing needs to happen. It is stated in His word that He will start with His house first. So, cleansing is a must.

Now remember that Jesus was the son of a carpenter. Hammers are used to build. Why not build on the “Rock” the “sure foundation.” Repair that which is need of repair. Build new after that A great place to begin at is in worship. Nothing can compare to spending time with Him in worship. Read and study his word to get a better understanding of who He is. A better understanding of what we are to do for Him. We need to all get in a better place with Him. After this we will be better prepared to go out into the harvest and reap for Him. Sharing the good news to a people in need. Its time to stop putting this off and start moving forward. For He is always with us. That will not change.

Please share this with others. There are more of us who need to hear this and be encouraged.

Be blessed, Ken

Wine Not

Here we are on Thanksgiving Day and I decided to share some thoughts. Last Sunday in church while worshiping, I received from our Lord a short thought. It is all about the wine. Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach ailments. This was a wow moment. Because right after that I went to communion. When we take communion we take what represents our Lord’s Body and blood. The wine represents His blood. So, in the case with Timothy, Paul was telling him to take in Jesus’ blood to help with his ailments. It is like telling him to go to Jesus first. How often do we go straight to the medicine cabinet and get some pain med’s first. It is so much easier than asking God for help. Yes I know that medicine is only available to us because God has allowed mankind to find it. Even so, Jesus is not always our first thought. How many of our ailments can go away if only we went to Jesus first.

At this point I will confess that I will go to med’s for my ailments without thinking. Maybe this is why God is giving me these thoughts. When I thought about the wine and communion, I thought about having communion with Him even more than the usual Sunday at church. But really, its about more than that. Its about having time with Him. Praying, reading and just meditating on His word. Its also about just talking with Him. How much of our time with God is one-sided. When we read do we think about what it is saying or do we just read to get thru it? When we pray do we give God our list of wants and then end our time with Him? Do we even take the time to meditate on His word. Remember that Jesus is the word. I think as a male its been ingrained in us that we don’t need that stuff. It is a sign of weakness. When in reality it just the opposite. It is a sign and showing of strength in us.

As I have been taking this all in, I have also thought of how communion affects every aspect of our lives. How often do we ask for His favor? How often does God ask us to do something and we say not now because we aren’t comfortable with it? And yet we still want His favor. Remember the great commandment is Love our Lord Jesus and then our neighbor. We say we love Him, but how do we show it? By not listening to Him. Not giving Him time in our day. Not helping out other people. We have to remind our selves that it is not about us. But when we make it about Jesus and others it comes back to us anyway. For in others obedience to love, they will love on you with His Love.

So have communion with Jesus for your ailments, your needs and for your life in general. Do this and you will find yourself in a better position. A life full and ready for whatever comes your way. Thanks for reading this and please remember to share this with others for their encouragement.

Be blessed, Ken

The Dream and Beyond

Ok folks, here I am about to share something personal. First I will make it known that I usually don’t remember very many of my dreams. But this one has stuck out to me for some odd reason (lol). In this dream I was walking about when someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me toward him. When he got a hold of me he proceeded to grab me around the waist from the front. His grip was strong and would not let me go. At this point I tried to screamk and couldn’t. I was unable to make any sound. Trying to scream so hard that it became hard to breath. when screaming wasn’t possible, I managed to try kicking him and that is when I suddenly woke up. Some background detail of this dream. One, I could only see the top of his head. It appeared to be a man based on the shorter style hair cut. Very typical of today’s style. Next is the fact I could not see any background detail at all. Nothing but a blank background. I also felt a strong evil atmosphere. This is probably why I tried to scream. When I kicked at him and woke up there was a sense of relief.

So, there it is. If anyone has some valid thoughts please share them. I am interested in reading them. I do have my own, But would like some other input. I did share this dream with a close friend and we came up with an idea or two or three etc. Please leave your thoughts on this blogs facebook page or even here in the comment section. Thank you for reading this. Now on to other area’s.

An evangelist friend share a prophecy he received. Putting it on social media for people to read. In part of it he talks about the River and what it stands for. I found this to be very interesting. Seeing that I may have mentioned the River and other forms of water before ( read previous postings) . This is confirmation for me. About 2-3 weeks ago our Lord gave me a vision of a tree along the River bank. This tree was in full leaf and beginning to drop them. Then a strong wind comes along and blows the leaves away. At this point He tells me of His word about the leaves being used for the healing of the nations. God sent the strong wind in order to get the leaves where they were needed. So, no matter where you are you should be drinking of His water and living in the River all the time. And when its time He will send you out to where He needs you. Or even your words and prayers to where they are needed. We are the trees along the bank drinking from the River. Just remember that the nations are not necessarily area’s with borders. They quite often are people living among us everyday. Remember that we are to be obedient to His call. We may be the one’s He has put in place to help or even heal people in our path and walk in Him. Having the words and or tools to provide this help and healing to them.

This is where I give a simple reminder to pray for those in authority. Whether its your pastor, teacher, boss or elected official. You don’t need to agree with them (elected officials) to pray for them. Hold them up and let God do the rest. Its His job and He wants to do it. Some times all we need to do is provide a path for Him to do His work. Thank you for reading this. Don’t forget to share this so others may be encouraged.

Be blessed, Ken

 

The Waves

Great day friends. I’m going to get started by saying that this has been a challenging week.  My work has taken me to Lake Forest, Illinois each day. Not to bad its about a 30 min. drive each way. At the job itself I have felt inadequate for the work due to a lack of experience. On  one occasion I had a partner for a day and he argued about politics for about 10 min. This is not an area I like to argue about. No point in it as I see it. Very fruitless when its one sided and the other person is not going to listen. Then I get stuck sitting on Hwy.41 for a hour because of an accident. Later that evening (yesterday) my truck broke down about a block from my destination. Either the suspension or maybe a ball joint broke. In any case its not drivable until I find a way to get it fixed. All of this is after I made up my mind to get alone with God for some quiet private time with Him. Well guess what? I got some quiet time this morning as planned. Not as long as I planned, but time all he same. So glad I did.

A week ago at our church prayer time on a Saturday night I was given some prophecy and direction. I was told of a “calling” on my life. That I was to ask God for what its all about. That I may even already know what it is. Or at least partly. This morning is te time I took to do so. The details are for me and In am not one to be a self proclaiming person. It will be confirmed by witnesses as God directs them. But, while I was sitting by Lake Michigan this morning I paid attention to the waves. Talking to God and listening, he pointed some stuff out to me. First is that today is 8/18/18 and the number 8 is symbolic of new beginnings. There are 3 of them in todays date. Secondly, He had me focus on the waves themselves. They were “rough” by our lake standards. Then He reminds me of an earlier word about the cleansing flood (see previous post) coming. They were splashing high and rather fun to watch as I like to see this type of wave. The strength of them is impressive. As I was sitting about 8 ft. back from shore and about 4-6 ft. up on some rocks. Yet, I could still get wet at times. After some rough ones there would be softer ones. Then back to rough and so on.

Next I noticed the algae floating in the water being tossed by the waves. At that i was impressed that this is the junk that God has been taking away from us with His cleansing flood and waves. Evidence of being stripped clean. This quickly brought me to Ezekiel ch. 47 verse 11 where the swamps are not fresh. They were left for the salt. Seeing the algae and stuff floating at the edges gave me the thought of the sin being pushed from us with the force of the waves. Its that removal of sin from our lives. During all this time the sun would shine on the lake in spots. Not everywhere, just in spots. For it was a cloudy morning by me over the lake. It was God saying that He is there through it all. He knows whats happening. We are never alone. For the sun didn’t shine all over just in small area’s of the water. That is a nice sign to have.

My friends do not be afraid of the waves of cleansing coming over you. For it is not to harm you, but get you ready for His will and work to be done. I believe God is preparing to make a mighty move in this area. Its just that somethings need to get done first. And that is to get His people ready for it. Cleansing is just the first step of this. As it comes over you go tom prayer, get into worship and thank God for it in your life. The more you are willing to receive it, the better off you will be. These are not hollow words. It is coming. There will be a draw  for people to go to the alter and weep. They will get on their knees and worship. They will fall before the Lord and cry out. If you see this and your not being moved, then its time to get on your knees and ask for forgiveness. Repent and be restored. The cleansing will come. Just receive it.

Be blessed, Ken

Water, Water Everywhere

Hey folks, I apologize for taking so long in between posts. Either I have been distracted with work, taking time to draw closer to our Lord and Savior or just plain distracted. But, I have been listening to God and what He has been saying.  Much of it has to do with water. Like this is unusual. It all started on Fathers Day. The Lord gave me a picture of a river with a large healthy tree growing next to it.  Then there was a tree far off in the distance. Barely within sight of the river. It was very dead looking. You wouldn’t know it to be alive. With this came the warning of not being to close to the world. The healthy tree was feeding from the river. This river is our Lord. After saying this, our pastor brought up some text from Jeremiah ch. 17. This section of scripture had about the same story and picture detail in it.

On July 1, 2018 Our Lord gave me this. “There is a flood coming. It will cleanse away that which is undesirable, which is unwanted and not needed. It will strip down to the core, leaving only a shadow of the former. With this core, I will work with. I will provide a way and means to do my will. Just climb into the boat and go fishing. Reaching out to those who need me. Healing both body and soul.” What a picture this is. First come the cleansing and then the work. We can’t do the second without the first part. To many people this may seem a bit harsh. But it is necessary in order to be ready for the work to come. For when we are stripped down to the very core we have nothing left. We are totally dependent on God for everything. There is nothing of ourselves left to get in the way.

Two weeks later on the 15th. I received this ” I see a coin in a fountain. I see many coins in the fountain. I see people making wishes. Relying on hope and luck. I say jump in. I am the living water. I am the fountain that flows. I am the stream. I am the river that moves. I am here.” Once again a warning about the world and going there for your needs. Of this prophecy I like the part about jumping in. Yoyu need to fully trust God when you do that. No worries or fear to hold you back. Just do it and let God take care of it.

Now a couple days later I was given this thought. God told me one word. It was the word “furrow.” So, I looked up the definition on my phone and found a noun version and a verb form. The noun was the trenches and or grooves made in the ground for seeds. The verb form is the act of making these trenches or grooves. Right after settling on the verb form God said ” Prepare for rain.”  Followed by “Direct its path.” So are we scattering seed anywhere. Just throwing it around. What we should be doing is sowing it in a trench that leads somewhere. One example would be discipling a younger person. Praying for particular family members or friends. And wouldn’t you know it two days later I heard God say ” His rain falls on the just and unjust alike.” There may be some unexpected growth coming. Areas we can’t see or even thought about. Thats why we need to be obedient and just do what He asks of us.

Then this last Sunday I shared a word with another couple. Part of it was about drinking water. If you go to the faucet and get the water, you will end up with water filled with chemicals and other stuff.  If you go to the RIVER and get it, you will be getting the purest, cleanest and bast water available to us. In this process of getting water from the RIVER, a person needs to get own on their hands and knees in order to get it. This puts you in a humble position. One also of worship. For rivers usually don’t have much of a shore. Most likely a river bank and the water below this.

This is a lot of water for us. Please take the time to  read and meditate on the water and River. Do not be afraid of cleansing or what our Lord wants to do. He will not harm us, just prepare us for His will.

Be blessed, Ken

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