“Are you walking in your current life situation by chance or choice?”

That was the question I heard the Holy Spirit ask me as I was praying about 2 weeks ago. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I believe the current state of crisis in our culture, with people living irresponsible lives is revealed in this statement.

Studies in sociology over the last couple of generations have demonstrated that the entitlement, and a victim mentality of a fatherless culture is wrecking our economy. Every week I have employers tell me that they can’t find anyone who wants to work. They tell me that they will hire someone and they won’t show up for work during the first week!

Last week I shared this scripture:
Genesis 18:19 For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord and to do what is just and righteous, so that the Lord may bring Abraham what He has promised him. AMP

We read that the Lord says He instructed Abraham to command His children to walk in the ways of God so He could bless him. So what if he and his children did not walk in His ways? Would Abraham still be the father of our faith? Well the answer is no, because faith without works is dead!

James 2:14 TPT “My dear brothers and sisters, what good is it if someone claims to have faith but demonstrates no good works to prove it?”

How could this kind of faith save anyone? For example, if a brother or sister in the faith is poorly clothed and hungry and you leave them saying, “Good-bye, I hope you stay warm and have plenty to eat,” but you don’t provide them with a coat or even a cup of soup, what good is your faith?

Faith that doesn’t involve action is phony.

However, someone might object and say, “One person has faith and another person has works.”

Go ahead then, and prove to me that you have faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works as proof that I believe. You can believe all you want that there is one true God, that’s wonderful! But, even the demons know this and tremble with fear before Him, yet they’re unchanged—they remain demons.

James 2:20-24 “O feeble sons of Adam, do you need further evidence that faith divorced from good works is phony? Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham found righteous before God because of his works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? Can’t you see how his action cooperated with his faith and by his action faith found its full expression? So in this way the Scripture was fulfilled: Because Abraham believed God, his faith was exchanged for God’s righteousness. He became known as the lover of God! It is clear that a person is seen as righteous in God’s eyes not merely by faith alone, but by his works.” TPT

Are you ready to own the things you should own in your life situation? I am. If I don’t own my personal mistakes, I can’t move from the past curse to the future blessing! How deep is your, “We won’t do that again file?” Mine is the biggest file in my brain. I have said it for years and I believe it today more than ever. “Wisdom is the anticipation of consequences.”

Be blessed! And make good choices!

• Date - August 23, 2018
• Author - David Chisholm

I am always amazed when I walk along a sidewalk or parking lot and see a random flower or weed breaking through a crack in the pavement. I have seen whole trees like this. Grant it this process took time, but it still amazes me the determination for a seed to come to fruition.

Think about it. Long ago, or at least at some time ago, a seed was sown or lodged in the soil. Before it germinated, a parking lot or sidewalk, or whatever, was placed over top of it. So, what did it do? It waited…..waited for a crack in the concrete so that water could get to it. Once water got to it, the germination process began. And we all know that if there is a crack for water, light penetrates as well. And then we know the rest of the story, the seed grows and pushes itself up out of that hardened shell on top of it until it reaches full stature! Do you see where I am going with this?

One of my favorite, if not my favorite verse in the Bible is Proverbs 11:21b- the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. The word seed in this verse by Strong’s definition means – seed, sowing, offspring, children, descendants, sowing time. And delivered means, escape, save life, give birth, preserve, speedily, surely.

How marvelous. So we see that as we, believers who are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, our seed, our sowing, our children, descendants and sowing time, shall be delivered, shall escape, give birth, be preserved, speedily, surely.

Many of us have sown much in the way of finances and are waiting on our harvest. We have sown acts of kindness and service, and some have children who are prodigals. I have good news for you today! Our seed is being delivered! Speedily and surely!

You say, but I have been waiting for years….listen, in the light of eternity, it is speedily and surely. We all know the timing of the Lord is the best because He knows and sees things we do not.

What is our part? I am glad you asked!

The pavement and/or sidewalks of our lives……

Some of us have been sowing for so long and because we haven’t seen the harvest we desire, have allowed our hearts to get hard in the area of sowing and seeds. You hear sow a seed and immediately you roll the eyes of your heart because your faith has grown cold. You essentially have parked yourself right on top of your seedbed and are waiting, but not in a good way. Not in faith, but more of, is it ever going to happen? Ladies and gentlemen, doubt has just formed a layer over your heart and over your seedbed. Once doubt forms, then hope deferred will come shortly and before you know it, you will have a whole parking lot filled with people you have talked with who feel the same way you do.

Then there are some of us who are indignant at thinking we have a hard heart. However, sometimes the path we are walking on becomes so familiar, it is like a concrete sidewalk. We have beat the path and poured concrete on it “to make our way smoother,” so to speak. How? Oh, by giving in to lies that it’s not necessary to tithe and give or held back when we had it in our hands to do good. Doing this hardens our heart in giving and sowing. We have gotten our eyes off the word and its truth and began to focus on what we see.

The same can happen when believing for a prodigal child, spouse or relative. Don’t allow their actions pave a parking lot on your seedbed. THE SEED OF THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL BE DELIVERED!

Ask the Lord if you have allowed your heart to be paved hard by hope deferred or even delay in your harvest. BREAK UP, BUST UP THAT CONCRETE with the jackhammer of the word! Jeremiah 23:29 says IS NOT MY WORD A HAMMER THAT BREAKS A ROCK INTO PIECES?

Now, when praying for a person that needs to come to the Lord, we call for cracks in the hardness of their hearts! Holy Spirit is great at this! We ask for God to send laborers across their paths! We release angels to them to orchestrate conversations, memories and events that will soften their hearts to the gospel! Then as cracks manifest, others will come along and sow seeds, and our prayers will water! Holy Spirit will shine His warmth on them – IF WE PRAY AND BELIEVE!

For the prodigals, those who once were in the kingdom, but have strayed – start speaking to the seeds that are already inside of them. Agree with the determination of the seed of the word of God on the inside of them to begin to rumble and stir so that the cracks will become crevices and light and water (truth and conviction) will saturate that seed til it has no choice but to bust through that hardness!

A seed is more determined to manifest that we can fathom.

Read this short paragraph I found online –

Whether large cracks or tiny cracks the plants find already existing cracks in the concrete. That doesn’t mean the growth of the plant won’t put additional pressure on the crack, between retained moisture or woody stems pressuring outward, but a plant doesn’t break through concrete. They remarkably find every possible crack to get through. Whether a seed exists below the concrete or blows into the crack, water gets washed into the crack at each rainfall and doesn’t soak into the rest of the concrete as fast as it runs down the crack, so the plant gets more water than usual. So fast growth for concrete plants. (Link:Seeds growing through concrete)

So, while the seeds we have sown need us to break any hardness of our hearts, the seeds in others need cracks. Cracks can come many different ways….and let me tell you EVERYONE has a crack – everyone. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. That’s a good place to start. Love the people that need to come back. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. Love them, be a blessing to them, show them the love of Jesus, and all the while we are widening the crack. As it becomes a crevice, we continue to speak the word over them and call their God given destiny to come forth! We worship and thank God for the turnaround we believe that is coming! We rejoice in the harvest coming. We get rid of any and all hardness in us!

I pray that as you go about the days ahead, every time you see a flower, plant, growth, that has busted through concrete, this word comes to your mind and renews your faith. Think about it, how many weeds are always not only popping everywhere we don’t want them, but crab grass, briers and dandelions are very prevalent around sidewalks and parking lots, especially ones that have been paved for a while. Nobody intentionally plants weeds, yet because they come from seeds they grow and DO WHAT SEEDS DO! How much more will our Father bless our seed sown with purpose, love and faith?

The seed of the righteous shall be delivered. The seeds we have sown, whether financial, kindness, in our children and in others, those seeds are determined to germinate and grow. It matters not the hardness of heart over them, they (even though they don’t realize it) are waiting for the cracks to be watered. The seeds, though deep, have a life of their own. God set it in motion when He said – as long as the earth remains, (Genesis 8:22) so will seedtime and harvest! Friends, we can’t lose. With the determination within the seed itself, the power of God in His word we speak, as we water these seeds, release our faith, pray and bring “sonshine” to these seeds – OUR SEEDS, THE SEEDS OF THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL BE DELIVERED!

• Date - August 19, 2018
• Author - David Chisholm

As our children head off back to school this month I am reminded of our responsibility to train them in the ways of God, not just reading, writing and arithmetic. We only have one chance at raising our kids with a faith that they will not surrender to the world, as the anti-christ system comes with its full strength against our offspring! Make no mistake the devil wants your children to be his.

Malachi 2:10-15 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers? 11 Judah has dealt treacherously, And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, For Judah has profaned The LORD’s holy institution which He loves: He has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob The man who does this, being awake and aware, Yet who brings an offering to the LORD of hosts! 13 And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. 14 Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the LORD has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. 15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. NKJV

A godly child is the product of a Godly marriage…

I know there are exceptions to this rule but remember the rule! A broken marriage, (whether divorce, or just flat unbiblical patterns of dysfunction) will damage the children of that home.

Look at these following principle verses:

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. KJV

Proverbs 22:6 Dedicate your children to God and point them in the way that they should go,and the values they’ve learned from you will be with them for life. TPT

I like both these translations, but each one has a strength, I like the way the KJV says “train up a child,” and I like the way the TPT says “the values they have learned, will be with them for life.”

God chose Abraham and taught him to command his home.

Genesis 18:19 For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord and to do what is just and righteous, so that the Lord may bring Abraham what He has promised him. AMP

I love the way the amplified Bible translate this verse, it clarifies that if we do what is just and right then the Lord is able to give us His promises.

The other day, I was praying and I heard this in my spirit: “Is the blessing of God by chance or choice?” The scripture definitely teaches principles which make it choice, but the victim mindset makes it by chance. Not that we will all have the same portion by choice, but that we can all walk in the will and blessing of God for our individual gift and call by choice. That is why we cannot violate the command of not comparing ourselves to others and why each child we raise has a different DNA that must be decoded for proper parenting and training.

One size surely doesn’t fit all when raising a child. The broken culture today demonstrates the ultimate “tail wagging the dog”, as manifest as children dictate to the parent how the home will be run and what values will be followed and enforced. “Not on my watch!” should be the cry of every parent as they steward the godly seed they have been entrusted with. It’s “show and tell parents”, not just tell. Kids won’t commit their lives to a God you barely follow or believe in. The doctrine of tolerance has completely hijacked our culture and the twisted truths of this doctrine are destroying a generation. Moral absolutes are just that, absolutes, not maybes or sometimes!

Be blessed, and look to our Father to teach us to be fathers and mothers in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ! Remember parents- don’t expect your children to stand up to the world for the Lord, if you won’t stand up to your children for the Lord!

• Date - August 16, 2018
• Author - David Chisholm