Caverns_of_the_Seven_Keys

Caverns of the Seven Keys

Whether you realize it or not, you live in a parallel world of darkness, where imps and demons battle against you. Satan’s weapons of destruction are hurled at you and battles rage on every hand. The cries of a child; the lure of an attractive person, are just a few of the cruel ploys to destroy your mortal soul. Light comes as wisdom presents herself to you enabling you to assemble your armor and win these battles and obtain the keys of your freedom. As you awaken you understand: this was not a dream, but reality.

This book takes a look inside a world that very few people acknowledge; a world that exists parallel to our own physical world. It was written to allow others to see into the spiritual realm to understand the attack of the enemy and to learn how to defeat him with prayer, fasting, and the Word of God. To know the enemy’s plan is to win the war before it begins.

Consequences of Disobedience

Excerpt from Plugging Into Real Worship by Andrew P. Logan Sr.

Up to this point in our study of worship, we have examined reasons why we must worship God and what benefits are promised to us when we obey.  Unfortunately, it has become commonplace for us to look for loopholes, escape hatches, and perhaps even rationalizations that help us disobey while feeling good about it.  But, should we be feeling good about disobeying God?  Perhaps after reviewing this next section, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision about your worship response.

Hezekiah and David both prospered as a result of their way of life of worship toward God.  Hezekiah was well familiar with the consequences of the disobedience of his predecessors.  Those consequences borne out in his people gave him compassion and a desire to obey God; avoiding the mistakes of his predecessors.

“For our fathers have sinned and did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah our God, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their faces from the house of Jehovah, and have turned their backs. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the sanctuary to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of Jehovah was on Judah and Jerusalem, and He has delivered them to trouble, to ruin, and to hissing as you see with your eyes. For lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.” (2 Chronicles 29:6-9)

The story of Ahaziah identifies consequences for disobedience.  Sometimes as believers we become indignant at the Israelites for their lack of steadfastness in obedience from generation to generation.  Yet, are we that different today?  What things are we worshiping today, having elevated them to a place equal to, or above God in our lives?

“Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. And he reigned two years over Israel.    And he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  For he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked Jehovah, the God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.” (1 Kings 22:51-53)

 I don’t know about you dear one, but the last thing I want to do in this life is provoke the Lord to anger.  It was clear that Ahaziah did not fear the Lord, nor did he concern himself with the Lord.  Instead, he worshiped Baal and provoked God to anger.   But what consequences did Ahaziah suffer as a result of his disobedience?

“And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper room in Samaria, and was sick. And he sent messengers and said to them, Go, ask of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.  But the angel of Jehovah said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise! Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, Is it not because no God is in Israel that you go to ask of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?  And therefore so says Jehovah, You shall not come from that bed on which you have gone up, but shall surely die. And Elijah left.  And the messengers turned back to him. And he said, Why have you now turned back?  And they said to him, A man came up to meet us and said to us, Go, turn again to the king who sent you, and say to him, So says Jehovah, Is it not because no God is in Israel that you go to ask of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore, you shall not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but shall surely die.  And he said to them, What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and told you these words?  And they answered him, He was a hairy man and was bound with a girdle of leather around his loins. And he said, He is Elijah the Tishbite.” (2 Kings 1:2-8)

 Isn’t it interesting that some people don’t know when to surrender?  Here we read that Ahaziah was injured in a fall, but did he consult God?  No, instead he sought counsel from Baal-zebub the god of Ekron.  Not only did he provoke the anger of the Lord, the Lord sent word to him through messengers that he would not recover.  In pride and arrogance, Ahaziah decided to go after the man who dared give him such news.  He devised a plan to send fifty men and a commander to go and bring Elijah back to him.  But Ahaziah’s plans soon proved fruitless.  Elijah, a man of God, discerned this plan and the origin of the plan, and called down fire from heaven which consumed the company of the fifty men and their commander.  Upon hearing the news of the destruction of the first company, Ahaziah commissioned a second company of men and a commander to carry out his plan.  Again, with the discernment of the Lord, Elijah called down fire, and the fifty-one men were exterminated.  Now most rational people would consider staying away from someone like Elijah, given what had happened to the first two companies of men.  Astoundingly enough, Ahaziah, was able to commission yet a third company of men.  However, this time, the results were different.

The commander of the third company of men threw himself at Elijah’s feet and begged for mercy after acknowledging Elijah’s God and His authority.  At that moment, Elijah heard from the Lord and was told to listen to the commander and accommodate his request.  Elijah returned to Ahaziah and spoke the prophetic words of the Lord directly to Ahaziah himself.  Ahaziah died just as Elijah spoke, after a brief two year reign over Israel.  From this we can clearly see that disobedience to God does indeed have negative consequences.

God has feelings and will choose to share them even if it means bringing death to those who do not follow his commands.  Putting this in perspective, do we dare take a position in our lives where we fail to obey God’s command to worship Him and Him alone?  Are we prepared to accept the consequences not obeying Him?

© Andrew Logan

About the Author:

Andrew Logan has been an integral part of worship for more than 20 years. Passionately, he escorts others into the Presence of God. Andrew maintains that worship invites God to meet with us to bring lasting life transformation that won’t come any other way.

Andrew developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ during a time of intense struggle in his personal life. Having a strong passion for music, he served the Lord in music ministries in several churches. A few years later, the founder of Life Bible Ministries International, Dr. Harold Hagen ordained Andrew and asked him to lead worship there.

After a rewarding career of more than twenty years in Information Technology, he transitioned into full-time Pastoral Ministry. Andrew now serves as senior pastor of All Nations Word and Worship Center.

Author of Plugging Into Real Worship and Conectándose a la adoración verdadera

http://aplogansr.com

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Publisher of Code Blue Seconds from Death by Henry C. Austin
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Remaining Steadfast

We are told in Scriptures to remain steadfast, rock-solid in our beliefs and behaviors. Perhaps you’ve wondered exactly how to do that in the face of personal discouragement, unemployment, and relationship challenges… (And the list goes on)

In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, he writes “My brothers (and sisters) be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not without fruit in the Lord. “ (1 Cor. 15:58)

Sure … But how?

Looking to the gospel of Matthew, we read where Jesus said “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock.” (Matt 7:24-25)

Could it really be that simple? To just:

1. Position yourself where you can hear The Word
2. Obey The Word

That sounds straight-forward. The day-to-day application however may be a different story. What does being steadfast in behaviors and actions look like? (Ps. 15:2-5)

1. He who walks uprightly
2. Works righteousness
3. Speaks the truth in his heart
4. Does not backbite (slander) with his tongue
5. Does no evil to his neighbor,
6. Does not disgrace or shame his neighbor
7. Despises a reprobate (vile person)
8. Honors those who fear Jehovah
9. Remains faithful to his word or promise even if unprofitable);
10. Does not put out his money at interest
11. Does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall not be moved forever.

What about you?

Been to the woodshed lately? No, I mean behind it, as in taken back there for a little “correction” shall we say. Yes it hurt, but I take comfort in the fact that God still cares and won’t leave me the way He found me. So what did He say?

“When are you going to stop making excuses for what you THINK I can’t or won’t do with/through you?”

Ouch. And He continued.

“When are you going to get out of the way, and simply do what you already know how to do? Create an environment where I (The Lord) can join you and manifest myself among you and others there, and show them who I AM?”

You see, He’s done listening to the “But God, I’m not this (or that) yet. I need to do [something bigger that requires more skill, money, help, etc than I currently have]” Newsflash: He already knows what you do/don’t have!!

“Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears Me and opens the door, behold I will come in and sup with him.”

Have you cleared the overgrown brush, the weeds, the tricycles etc. from in front of your heart’s door so that He can come and knock on it?

Are you listening for His knocking?

So often we look at the above scripture reference and file it away and pull it out as we lead someone to Christ.

So do you only visit your friends’ houses 1 time only and never again? I don’t think so, especially not if they’re close. You visit OFTEN especially when there’s food involved!

How much more does God want to visit with us and share His Food with us? Much more frequently than we give Him room to do so in our busy lives.

So that’s where I’ve been.

How about you?

Andrew Logan
www.aplogansr.com

You’re Worth it All, Lord

You carried and You led

You hung and You bled

To give me life

And end my strife

A price I could never afford

Memories some joyful, others sad

Wounds so deep and hurt so bad

Are now in Your care

I’ll leave them there, Lord

To be with You Lord

Is worth it all

A hope and a future

You planned for me

Happiness in everything

Jobs and family

Yet I sought more money, worked longer hours

At jobs within those ivory towers

Oh how I failed in my haste

Making my own way

Looking back, what a waste

To be with You, Lord

Was worth it all

At the end of my race

In Your embrace

I’ll see and know

You were worth it all

Every trial, every fall

Even the worst of them all

Your mercy and love

Grace that covers

Mercy that heals

To be with You, Lord

Is worth it all

Obedience > Sacrifice

Perhaps we’ve seen this, read it, heard it before. Subconsciously, some of us may have written it off as just another one of those quotes that has little importance these days. I’d like to give you dissenting opinion on that with a practical example.

Years ago I was employed by a major telecom company doing work in Information Technology. From what I could tell, my career was stable having recovered from a job transition a few years prior, and I had expectations for a rewarding future. As time went on however, I began to experience some turbulence (as I’ll call it). Each time I would pray about it, asking God for direction and or permission to leave, His answer was always clear. “Wait for me to tell you when to leave” is what I understood Him to say.

I will never forget that summer day when the buzz coming from Rumor Central was much louder than normal. As I began to think about what might be happening, I distinctly remember God telling me, “You’re going to be laid off today, but don’t worry. I’ve got everything under control.” I could not believe what I had heard. Within a few minutes, I was summoned to a room upstairs, with others. The events that unfolded shortly thereafter verified that indeed I was being laid off.

Strangely enough I remember being completely confident that I was headed for a better job. Yes there were times when I thought about my having 3 children under 10 to feed and clothe, not to mention some debt had accumulated. The assurance that God had everything under control helped me stay the course. His provision during this time afforded us three months of severance pay.

During the fourth week of my job search, I received a call. The caller asked a few questions to make sure I was the person that someone else had recommended. I was then invited to interview as a consultant for their firm at a major financial services corporation. I interviewed on Thursday of that week and a hiring offer was extended for the next Monday. I delayed the starting date a week to notify the other firms that had begun responding to my job search correspondence, that I had accepted employment.

Now for the best part…For two months I received my severance pay, plus my pay on the new job. As it turns out, the project for which I was consulting was a little behind, so that overtime was authorized. Because I was being paid on an hourly basis, this meant larger checks every two weeks!

Additionally, prior to my being “downsized”, I was compelled to participate in an Employee Stock Purchase (ESP) program at the telecom company. Once the initial layoff dust settled, I went back and researched the terms on that program. Ultimately I was given the option of having my funds returned, or having those invested funds immediately invested in company stock to be purchased at one-half the market price. I’d only wished (looking back) that I had invested more now; but I was reluctant to do so. The ESP program was only offered once every two years, and the results from the prior period weren’t too favorable. I requested the stock and consequently, doubled the value of my investment.

What am I saying? I am saying that what would appear to be a very dark and scary moment for you, your family, and your career may not be that at all. For me, it positioned me very well to pursue my Information Technology career goals and in addition, transition into new endeavors: Pastoral Ministry and writing. When I lost the job at the telecom company, I would never have believed I would be doing what I am now.

For those of you who have a personal relationship with God, I dare you to trust Him to bring you through whatever you’re going through and bless you while doing it. For those of you who don’t have that relationship, I dare you to develop one with Him. You will never be the same and you’ll wonder why you waited so long.

Pastor Andy Logan

http://www.aplogansr.com