riversnthedesert-blog

[riversnthedesert-blog]

Some Real Talk on Hollywood and the Deep Things in Life

Well, I was originally going to slide this in as a Facebook post, but I had this sudden idea to just make it a blog post. The first of many, let’s hope! There have been so many times where I have started to comment/make a post, etc., and then I began writing a novel. But, it’s called Face “book,” so you think it’d be ok, right? Listen, I have thoughts. Don’t you? One thought here, another there, and then my mind be like, “OH! Forgot about that...and YEAH! That, too!”…and a lot of the time it’s easier to just write and get my thoughts out that way rather than speaking it. It’s a relief, man! Write ya mind. It would suffice to say there’s a lot that goes on up there. Better log it quick because as soon as I have something important...here cometh something else. Ah, feelings, the mind, expressions, inner things, brain files....

So, now that you, reader, have become acquainted with my thought processes, because you desperately needed to know...let’s get to the content.

You guys pray for Hollywood. There are some really creepy things going on behind the scenes….and creepy is an understatement, as I’d do well to keep it kosher in my description. Many things would shock you. But if one isn’t awake so to speak…or one isn’t open to hear in full, there’s confusion. If I could compare it to a puzzle: it’s like there’s all these pieces to a big puzzle. And until someone is ready to sit down and actually put it together, it’s just all these random pieces everywhere...and it’s messy and annoying. You must be willing to sit, observe the pieces, and study them because by themselves they don’t fit anywhere. And since you don’t know what to do with it, it just sits there, and never gets connected; the bigger picture never gets seen. This all might seem confusing, because you haven’t yet sat down to solve the puzzle. Let’s me just say...I don’t have 100% of the puzzle solved, but there are certain things that have been brought to light. But if we go back to the puzzle analogy, if you put together enough pieces of a particular part of the puzzle,you may not see all the details, but you see enough to maybe see, “Oh this is puzzle has a cat in it.” In the case for Hollywood, you might get to a place where you’ll say, “Oh, this puzzle has a rat.” It may seem like I am just finding something to poke at or what have you, but listen: 

The Bible says, “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)”  and in Ephesians 5:8-13, it says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible--and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”

The Bible in different places talk about knowing wisdom (of God), being discerning, and having knowledge. Jesus said in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves, therefore be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.”

With that in mind, it’s important to note that we shouldn’t be unaware of the devil’s schemes. We should know our enemy’s tactics in order to guard against it. So when we see the deception, the lies, the fake news, the idolatry, the game of distraction, and materialism and fame, the plan of the enemy to sway hearts deceitfully and subtly for his kingdom, we are prepared and not caught off guard.

[Later, hopefully, I will try to discuss this more in depth at as it relates to the Antichrist agenda that is at work in the world by globalist leaders.]

Getting to the point here:

 Pray for your favorite celebrities. God has an army, but so does the devil. God wants to recruit, but so does the the devil. One is Light, one masquerades as light, but is actually darkness. One is good, one appears good. One is true, one is the counterfeit.

Please hear me. The world’s biggest influencers are definitely a target of Satan because they have the platform to be able to change an entire culture. How does this happen? MUSIC, ART…things that grip the HEART. Things that speak to the deepest places in people, the places of pain, emptiness, woes of many kinds. Why is this such a soft spot for the human race? Why are most songs about love and pain? I mean, why is music the language that everyone understands? We’re about to get into that.

[Disclaimer: I don’t know everything, and I don’t claim to. But with evidence from the Bible (God’s word), and when hings that were once just an idea or only talked about begin blatantly flaunting themselves in plain sight, you tend to not just tuck it away hoping that what you saw wasn’t real. With that being said, here we go.]

It’s not hard to find the answer if you really wanna know (read Matthew 7:7). Our inmost being cries out for LOVE. But, hey man, why does love in this world seem to suck a lot of the time? Could it be that we’re going about it all wrong? Could it be that we’re hitting something, but haven’t quite dug it all up to actually see what it is? Love is real, ok. Love is DEEP and beautiful and poetic and all those things, but love is meant to be JOYFUL, though. Does this world see much real, raw, joyful love? Romanticism? Yes. Infatuation? You bet. Any idea how to sustain a marriage? Look at the divorce rate. What is that all about, my friends? Does anyone know what love is anymore? There are SONGS about this. People want to know, though. Their souls try out to know...WHAT THE HECK IS THIS LOVE THING THAT TAKES ME OVER AND THEN LEAVES ME BROKEN AND WASHED UP ON THE SHORE TO SHRIVEL UP AND DIE?Okay, we’re getting somewhere, but in order to go any further, we must admit: Something is wrong, perverted, amiss, broken, disturbed, frustrated...yet, we gotta have it in order to LIVE. This is crazy revelation, right? Fasten your seat belts, people, and as Samuel L. Jackson said in Jurassic Park, “Hold on to your butts!”

So we have just come to the point of realization that someone is doing something wrong. Right? *heh*

First step. Admitting something is wrong.

But chin up fam, there’s no shame. Because the world’s just trying to do the best they can with what they’ve got. It’s like survival mode. And you know animals when they try to find their food to survive...they kill, they go crazy to get their essentials. Dog eat dog world, am I right? The CARNAL mind. Did you know humans have carnal minds, too? Yeah, it’s a thing. The carnal mind deals with the flesh (aka: how we compensate without God. Doing life without Him...either on purpose or ignorantly. Survival mode, because if I don’t fend for myself, I’m at risk of dying. Fear mode. The twisted mentality that my desire (the heart) has to be met before I am fully satisfied.

And the Bible says, “Those who are in [operating out of] the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8) 

K. Well, wait a minute, that sounds rather harsh. 

Hold on, though because I’m going to explain and bring more clarity.

What is the opposite of the flesh?  You might argue, “So if the flesh is all we know...what the heck, man! Like, I have desires, don’t you? I gotta give up my happiness and all that brings me joy?”

No bruh, not exactly. See, if someone is living in the flesh, they are living in an illusion. The illusion that if they “meet their desires themselves [based on their limited power and understanding as a human being of what it is they want/need]. Living based on the flesh will keep someone in a hopeless cycle of temporary fulfillment which will lead, eventually, to a state of deprivation, disappointment, and (un)fulfillment because they are depriving themselves of the SOURCE of their life.

What’s the source, you ask? Who made you and knows what you truly desire and need; what’s at core of your heart. Who knows how it operates? Who saw your unformed body? (Please friends, I’m begging you to read Psalm 139)

Does God just want take away our desires to rob us of delight and a fun, abundant life, just because? Does He want to see us thrive? 

Men, women, young and old, children of all ages. I’d like to introduce you to my Father in Heaven who is a God of GOODNESS. He is Spirit. And the nature of his Spirit are aaalll of these

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

God is good. Anything not good is contrary to His nature. 

Sin = not good. What is sin? Woah! Another post, for another time.

I have suffieciently dove into the deep end. There are rabbits hopping everywhere because my mind has gone down so many trails to explain this all to you. There’s more. 

*Self notes: post to be made on flesh desires and God desires.

 [Or read Romans 8]

Wrapping up our discussion with some further thoughts:

If the world doesn’t know the power and love of Jesus, they’re just trying to figure it out and compensate. We did something important earlier. We recognized we have been going about love all wrong. God wants to show us how to do it right, but He won’t force us. Instead, He lovingly leads, allows His children to live out the love they have received through Him. “We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19-21)” HA! Let me say it again. Love is not to be forced. Not saying that there isn’t sacrifice involved in love because there is, but when it’s properly received and you do it the right way, it looks like Jesus on the Cross. 

Gotta go to the Book with this. 1 Corinthians 13. Love.

*All kinds of things are stirring up in me because I know some are going to say to themselves, “well dats the Bible, that ain’t no solid truth. How can you say that’s truth, made made it!” I will explain to all my atheists friends out there one day, but not now because I literally will start writing a novel right here and now. Help, me, Lord. And like a faithful friend, He will.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (That’s 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

So if that’s all the characteristics of love, we can say that those are the characteristics of God, too, because 1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.”

If we are imperfect people, we love imperfectly. But wait just a second here because in 1 John 4, if we read the whole thing, it says

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

So if one isn’t a believer in Jesus, like hasn’t received Him as Lord and Savior, then it would be true also to say that they don’t know Love if they don’t know God.

When someone doesn’t know God, because we were made in His image and His likeness (Genesis 1:27, Gen. 9:6), we still have attributes and qualities of God. The Bible also says, “eternity was placed in the human heart, (Ecclesiastes 3:11), people can be without God but still be operating out of the qualities and attributes they were made with. I’m sure God did that intentionally to help us find our way back to “truth north” in the event that we should become lost. What I am saying friends is that people who reject Jesus at this point, choose Atheism, paganism, Gnosticism, and other forms of religion, they still have that eternity void that needs to be filled. And some further discussion on the void of eternity:

Think of eternity as an umbrella…and under the umbrella, there’s

LOVE

MEANING

PURPOSE

TRUTH

If all of these are within the concept of eternity, then all of us have the bent within us to go after them. It’s in us to find these things…because we are trying to get back to our “true north.”

But wait! Because if “true north” is God. How do we know which avenue to God is the right one?

“Oh, boy. You’ve done it now, Lex.”

[to be continued...]

[riversnthedesert-blog]

I Will Not Die, But Live.

You guys, today I am undone by Jesus.

I am undone at the way He loves us and chases us down. When we are covered over in darkness and heaviness, bondage, the weight of the world, and then just like that His mighty hand comes in and brings His Light, His revelation, depth, HOPE, joy, a SHIFT...and finally you feel the change that you kept hearing about in the Spirit actually coming to pass. You don’t know how or what exactly is going down or what you’re being positioned for, except for the fact that you’re being carried by God. 

You realize you’re on His mind and He has remembered you like He remembered Noah (Genesis 8:1). And you cry, undone in His love, because it looked like you were done...like you were withering away, and you saw no help coming. You thought you were left to just fend for yourself. But you realize now it all clicks. You remember the nature and character of your God. Why do we have that tendency to forget? Why would He leave you?

He says in His Word that “He will never leave or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)” But the idea of it was somehow this massive burden to you because you didn’t see it properly. You took it like it was all up to you. But realize now what He meant by, “My grace is sufficient for you. (2 Corinthians 12:9),” that His grace is literally something unexplainable. How could he have that much grace for me? “Do you know how many times I have failed you God,” you think to yourself. You were quick to forget in this wasteland of pain and constant reaching but feeling as though you never had enough, that His LOVE is unfathomable; it’s not way up there for those people who do everything right. The ones who get up every morning on fourth watch and seize the day with their unquenchable faith, pulverizing every trace of demonic interference that dare even try. Bless those people. I declare that will be me in Jesus name. But you felt less than didn’t you? Why couldn’t that be you? Why couldn’t you just rise UP and just be strong enough!

That matters not anymore because He met you right where you were at. He was patient with you and He held your hand the whole way...and not only that. He saw you through to the other side. He saw you and met you in your wilderness, in your struggle, in that pain you couldn’t release in your own strength. You knew it was going to take a miracle to get you out of the horrible, engulfing quicksand you found yourself in...the fiery darts and attack of the enemy was fierce, but now GOD will have His vengeance and He is delivering you (Exodus 14) and rescuing you from that ruthless and bloody battleground. Praise God, that it’s not over for you, you think to yourself. “Praise God that He has reached down to pull me up from the pit and favor me!” you say. You thought you were done for.  [Titanic imagery]

Remember Jonah? I’m reminded of His prayer in Chapter 2:

“In my distress I called to the Lord,

  and he answered me.

From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,

  and you listened to my cry.

You hurled me into the depths,

  into the very heart of the seas,

  and the currents swirled about me;

all your waves and breakers swept over me.

I said, ‘I have been banished

  from your sight;

yet I will look again

  toward your holy temple.’

The engulfing waters threatened me,

  the deep surrounded me;

  seaweed was wrapped around my head.

To the roots of the mountains I sank down;

  the earth beneath barred me in forever.

But you, Lord my God,

  brought my life up from the pit [...]”

This is where you remember, God is good.

This is what I say today. That if “God is for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8:31)” He has done this before me today. He has rescued me today. He has made a way for me today. He has allowed me to see the light at the end of the tunnel TODAY.

I remember a moment months ago when the sea monster of pain and hopelessness was at the door. Waiting to come in and release it’s destruction in my life. I remembered a vision the Lord gave me of Jesus standing on dry ground and the parted Red sea waters were on either side of Him. I stood there in place of Moses in front of Jesus with the dry path in front of me… He stood looking into my eyes and holding out His hands to me. He wanted me to trust Him and walk with Him. He was showing me His promise to deliver me if I took His hands and followed Him.

Then Moses answered the people,

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

And really folks, I did nothing to get out of this mess. I did nothing. It wasn’t me, I assure you.

I didn’t say, “Ok, I’ll be stronger now, I’ll be a more radical Christian if I really wanna see the Lord’s hand move to deliver me and rescue me.” I may have tried, but the number of times I fell...and fell...and fell to the point where I had thoughts of giving up altogether.

“You can’t earn it, and you don’t deserve it,” like the song Reckless Love says.

This revelation is incredible. All the anxiety and fear, running to and fro trying to escape disaster that felt iminent...like if I did this or that and tried this and tried that. If I stirred myself up and strove up enough _____, to gain the favor of the Lord or to make all of it stop.

LISTEN! “Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6)

God will bring His revelation, His truth, His LOVE, His wisdom. His divine mercy and grace.

He will show up for you. He will. I don’t know why He does things certain ways and why it’s in the timing it’s in, etc., but I know that God is good. I know that God is trustworthy, and He shows Himself faithful every. Single. Time.

Continue to seek Him, cry to Him, lay out your heart before Him, let Him have your pain, your desires...let Him in on your heart in those areas. He is careful with each thing...He knows how to handle it all. He is carefully bringing you to an expected end. Let Him.

Jeremiah 29:11 - “‘For I know the plans I have for you,” Declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

This is true. It’s manifesting itself in my life this moment. If it’s true for me, it’s true for you.

“God does not show favoritism. (Romans 2:11)

Let this bring joy to you today. Let this bring hope to you today.

And say this aloud with a voice of triumph, “I will not die but live and declare the works of the Lord.”