Response...

First, I want to turn your attention also to Psalm 1 it's a great parallel passage!

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked will perish.


Concerning, the counsel of the Holy Spirit, you are very right! I stand and agree with you. I did want to comment on the counsel of others, pastors, secular counselors, etc. I read this moments ago before reading your blog. I love how the things of the Lord can pop up whenever we are pursuing him.

"Anybody who lives beneath the cross and who has discerned in the Cross of Jesus the utter wickedness of all men and of his own heart will find there is no sin that can ever be alien to him. Anybody who has once been horrified by the dreadfulness of his own sin that nailed Jesus to the Cross will no longer be horrified by even the rankest sins of a brother. Looking at the Cross of Jesus, he knows the human heart. He knows how utterly lost it is in sin and weakness, how it goes astray in the ways of sin, and he also knows that it is accepted in grace and mercy. Only the brother under the cross can hear a confession."

"The greatest psychological insight, ability, and experience cannot grasp this one thing: what sin is. Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness and failure are, but it does not know the godlessness of men. And so it also does not know that man is destroyed only by his sin and can be healed only by forgiveness. Only the Christian knows this. In the presence of the psychiatrist I can only be a sick man; in the presence of a Christian brother I can dare to be a sinner."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer,Life Together.

This book was an encouragement and challenge in how I lead my family and live within the context of the world and church. Must read! It's really short.

Much love to you brothers.

The Lord searches the heart

I'm in the middle of my quiet time and felt I should blog my meditations...

Jeremiah 17:8 “For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.

17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
10 “I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.

I have been returning to 17:8 alot and God has been blessing me through it but the next two verses opened up to me today.
Anyone with half a brain and/or heart can see that the human heart is desperately sick. I have marveled at this for years now. I remember when I worked at a legal copy service and copied thick legal briefs of criminals. I couldn't help but read some of their records as I meticulously copied each page. My heart would be stunned for a good while sometimes at how serious their situations were. But everyone's hearts are sick in some way. The Lord has graciously pointed out some things in my own heart lately and shown me how to walk out of them - and I'm still walking out of them. I'm so grateful for the strategies He is giving me. Things only He knows because He is the only one who knows me fully. No counselor can counsel me like the Holy Spirit. Certain people can help (and they have been helping me) but the Lord is the one who knows us individually. If counselors / pastors / etc. aren't sensitive to His voice they'll just give out some "wise" advise. Yes, I know a lot of circumstances can be addressed with tried and true Biblical principles and by knowing how people work, etc. but the Lord is the one who searches the heart. We need to learn to be sensitive and obedient to His voice and it needs to be a part of our DAILY lives in greater and greater ways. I know this is possible and I'm just being reawakened to this truth.

Thank you, Lord, that You search my heart and that You know what I need. You know how to counsel me. I pray that my heart would yield more and more to You. I pray that You would continue to walk me out of the strongholds in my life so that I can live the life You desire for me - a life of joy and great effectiveness for You.

"When God Invades A Church"

Thank you Gabe for this article. Ive just begun the second one. I love the work of the Lord - in its entirity.

I struggle at times reading articles like this because I want to go back to Geometry in 9th grade, that is, right up a proof or a theorm that shows how this kind of movement of God takes place. What are the intergral factors? How much prayer? How much unity? How much... -- in reality i am asking, what do i have to do to make God move. The answer in my mind is nothing. God moves, period. He doesn't need us to move. He is always moving.

The thing I appreciate most from this article is the statement that said, "true 'Jesus Ministry' could only be done in and through His power, not through the strategies and limitation of this natural world and our human understanding."

The sad reality for me is that I know this, have experienced the reality of God's power -- and yet I continue to resort to my own power, yet again. Prayer for me is reasserting power to the place it needs to be --- and when he displays it --- there is NO question who is at work!

So, maybe a good question for churches would be: What can we "do" that reveals that there is NO question that YHWH is moving, not us?

-- Aaron the Almost

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I just wanted to let you know a bit about what God is doing here in Nashville, today. This afternoon I started and completed a small book about Psalm by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It was a great challenge on praying the scriptures. Its a small book that you guys could probably finish in 20 min. it took me an hour, but I want to encourage you to check it out. I gives a great perspective on prayer.


Much Love to you...NS


Aaron did you get the goods?