We Have to Learn About LETTING STUFF GO!

"The Rabbi asked, 'Do you know why PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN was, without a doubt, one of the greatest world leaders that has ever lived?' His answer would change my life!" - Keith

In the winter of 1988, we were preparing for a concert that Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark band was scheduled to do with Mylon and Broken Heart. In preparation for the upcoming event, I was being interviewed by the host of a local radio station in the Washington, DC area.

            About ten minutes into the interview, the host announced to the listening audience that we were breaking for a few commercials. No sooner had we broken away that the door to the studio opened, and in walked a local Messianic Jewish Rabbi. Under his left arm was his brief case. In his right hand he was tossing a tennis ball up and down!

            Without saying a word, and rather abruptly, the Rabbi threw the tennis ball at the show's host. Seizing the moment as an opportunity to display his sharp athletic ability, the host immediately reached out and grabbed the airborne tennis ball. As the host began to gloat over his quick response to the pitch, the Rabbi looked him square in his eyes and asked, "Why did you catch that ball?"

            Looking somewhat puzzled, the host replied, "I don't know. I guess I've always been programmed to catch things when they are thrown to me."

            At that, the Rabbi then asked him, "Do you know why PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN was, without a doubt, one of the greatest world leaders who ever lived?" His answer would change my life!

            Rabbi said, "The reason that Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest leaders in all of history is, he learned how NOT to catch everything that was thrown at him!"

            Until we finally come to the place where we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that there is nobody and nothing worth our relationship with God, we will constantly find ourselves overwhelmed and sinking under the weightiness of the cares of this life.

            Jesus lovingly warns us that, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My Words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (excess), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares (being unprepared). For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. (Luke 21:33-35)"

            We have to get better at letting go of things that we should not carry with us as the result of effects from the way others my see us or criticize us. If we "drop our guard", and permit those things to take root in our lives - like an insult, false accusations, criticisms, and such - we open ourselves up to what can weigh us down and keep us from moving forward into all that God has for us. If we "reject" those things when they are thrown our way, we keep our focus to be freed from the self-limiting effects of: "unforgiveness, poor self image, bitterness, unreal expectations of others, anger, jealousy, greed,..." and the like. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

            To those who have given up houses, lands, relationships, jobs, and their very lives to diligently pursue oneness with God, and resist all manner of distractions to fulfill God's plan for you, we dedicate this message to you. If you are one who has not yet invited Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, right there where you are, pray to God the following prayer.

            "Father God, in the precious  Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of all lords, I lay my life at Your  Feet. I come before You, confessing that I am a sinner, and I ask for You to forgive me of all my sins - those that I know I have committed, as well as those that I am not even aware of.  I ask that You come into my heart and be my Lord. I lay my life, and everything in it, at Your Feet, and ask that You please take me and begin to change me to be like YOU. I ask that You redeem the time that has passed, and allow me the opportunity to become exactly what You have predestined me to be, from before the foundation of the earth. I commit my life to You now, and thank You for receiving me as Your own. In the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, the son of the Living God, I pray, Amen."  And AMEN!!!

            WELCOME HOME! If you have just prayed this prayer we want to congratulate you for making the greatest decision that you can ever make! By accepting Jesus Christ, or rededicating your life to Him, as your personal Lord and Saviour, you have begun the wonderful process of being grafted into the family of God, and we welcome you home. We would like to invite you to contact us so that we can send you information that will help you begin growing in your relationship with God. We would also encourage you to begin attending a Holy-Spirit-filled, Bible-believing church right away.

            We advise you to begin reading The Holy Bible daily, whether you understand it or not. Always remember, God's written Word in The Holy Bible is like no other book that has ever been written! When we rendezvous with The Person of The Holy Spirit as we read what God has written there, it becomes stored in our heart for The Holy Spirit to access it to bring to our remembrance.  You will find that the Scriptures will become applicable to whatever you are going through, at any given time!

            There are wonderful Bible teachers on television and on the radio that can, especially early in your walk with God, help you to begin receiving good teaching, and encouragement, right away. Although very informative, these programs are never to be a substitute for close relationships with people who love and serve God. At times, the transformation process that you have now begun will be difficult, and you will be tempted to go back to your old ways of living your old life. It will be during times like these that hanging out with strong Christian friends and mentors will be crucially important. There really IS strength in numbers!

            CONGRATULATIONS!!! We would like to welcome you into the Family of God... right where "you belong", and you always will! (Selah)

            KEEP PRESSIN' IN... and learnin', and growin', w-i-t-h our Lord and Savior, and also with Keith and Brenda Shealy & Toward The Mark family.

XII SMOOTH STONES book, holding the collection of these 12 most-requested Titles:

No Matter What!	The Magnetic Mantle or Why Cats... Have Kitties;
Fire, Pressure, and Them Slithery... Snakes	The Ultimate Home Gym
Vampires In The Church	STOP...
The Great Deception	The Invisible Man
God Is So Much Bigger Than You Think!	Die Empty!
Building Godly Friendships	The Secret To A Happy Life

Twelve of Keith's best lessons-learned that are most-requested by friends and fellow-readers are printed in our book, "XII Smooth Stones" available at TowardTheMark online

We pray God uses this message to fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full Ways, and His Plan and Purpose for you in this life. If you have any questions about our work, or if you would like to make a special tax-deductible donation, place a special order for any of our books, magazines, or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please  e-mail us. Also feel free to write a letter and mail it to TOWARD THE MARK, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.

May God bless you greatly as you carry this truth in your heart. We are eternally grateful for our loving Toward The Mark Family of sponsors who make this blog, and all of our resources, possible by their faithful prayer and monthly financial support!

Your friends and servants in Christ,

    

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.

We couldn't do this without the help of our friends!
This blog message, along with the complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other Bible-based resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools that are available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, who desire to know more of the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

Keep PRESSIN' IN!

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are also available, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways: 

~  "Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" on Facebook 

~   "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter 

~   "Between The Lines PODCAST" on TTM's Libsyn Channel
HEAR (podcast): PRESSIN' In With God... Trade Anxiety & Fatigue for Confidence & Strength!
+ Keith's song *WON by ONE*

CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.

Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!

Mail tax-deductible contributions by check or money order made out to:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152. 

Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

           Take me... back to the top of this post.

           Take me to Don't Take Your Gifts to the Grave post.

           Take me to Salvation is For Every-Day Life post.

           Take me to Emergency Warning to Professing Witches post.

           Take me to Passionate Pursuit of Singleness post.

           Take me to We'll Miss You, Dad Shealy post.

           Take me to 75 Years Ago: Pearl Harbor & Fleet Admiral Nimitz post.

           Take me to Our Military Vets Out of Sight...Out of Mind post.

           Take me to Where to RUN When Trials Come post.

           Take me to Caught Up With Jesus post.

           Take me to True Leaders Speak Life post.

           Take me to Greatest Hindrance to Significance post.

           Take me to Keith's MINI-Series Journey #1 of *Keep the FAITH* post.

           Take me to Keith's MINI-Series Journey #2 of *Keep the FAITH* post.

           Take me to Rattlesnake Revelation post.

           Take me to Gold Star Families Gave ALL post.

           Take me to Love of GOD post.

           Take me to My Broken Vessel's Fiery Trials post.

           Take me to Magnetic Mantle...Why Cats Should Have Kitties post.

           Take me to Run TOWARD the Roar post.

           Take me to Overcoming Intimidation post.

           Take me to The Heart of Thanksgiving post.

           Take me to The Invisible Man post.

           Take me to The Abomination of Misrepresentation post.

           Take me to Living Among Thorns post.

           Show me Flipcard titles

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Day 17, Paragraph 17 of Weekday Blog #1

*Starting our morning and day off great with the 10-minute Weekday Blog*

Our first DAILY blog for each Weekday in JUNE!

Thank you for joining us for this
ground-breaking JOURNEY...
through the 1st CHAPTER of Keith's book,
“Keep the FAITH…Keep Your VISION”!

If you will read this book in its entirety, then you will be equipped
to begin walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ came and died to provide for us, in order that we may work *with* Him, be *fulfilled* in our work, lead a *successful life*, and...
      

Day SEVENTEEN,
Paragraph SEVENTEEN:

    
Saul of Tarsus (later to be known as the Apostle Paul) was dramatically confronted with an important truth prior to his conversion. Acts 9:1-5 brings this truth to light saying, "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." (Acts 9:1-5)

Question to ponder:

In Acts 9:5, what does Jesus mean by "...it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks"?  _________________________________________

Keith's "Comments from the Author":

"If you read yesterday's message about the bully who picked on my brother at the school bus stop, you see a modern day bully who compares to a bully in the Bible who was consumed with finding, imprisoning, and destroying the followers of Jesus Christ. His name was Saul of Tarsus. Not only was he consumed with these evil tasks, but he had been given the money, written permission, and troop support to pull it off. Although the High Priest and his ruling party had been able to manipulate Rome into doing their dirty work for them, having Christ crucified, they made a monumental mistake! They underestimated how deeply Jesus Christ had impacted the people of the region! And, now, the Person of the Holy Spirit had come to continue carrying the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people near and far, all over the world. It would be Saul's lack of knowing and understanding this fact that, ultimately, led him to the life-altering encounter he had with the One Who confronted him, face to face, similar to how I stuck up for my brother at the bus stop. Now, concerning what Jesus meant by saying to Saul, '...it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks', there's a definite image that I received the first time I studied this Scripture passage. When I was a young boy, I used to camp out with a few of my friends in my neighborhood. One evening, just as the sun was starting to set, the guys and I launched out on one of our deep-woods adventures, exploring some new terrain. Before we realized it, we had gotten ourselves trapped in a thick briar patch that we were standing in waist-deep. Of course, having left our hunting knives back at the campsite, we were forced to kick our way through those thick briars until we could reach a clearing. So, now, sporting jeans with thorns and holes all in them, and drops of blood running down our legs, we all came to the conclusion that we would never again go somewhere without making sure to carry along our hunting knives. When you find yourself in a painful, no-escape, 'prickly' situation, confronted by a commanding force that leaves you basically powerless, you begin to get the picture of what it means to 'kick against', as Jesus said, 'the pricks'. In essence, what Jesus was saying to Saul was, 'Because you have chosen to persecute Me, by choosing to fight against My children, now you have to deal with me!' If you find yourself trapped, in any way, by sin, you will know just how painful a life can be that runs contrary to the life-giving ways of Jesus Christ. We encourage you to seek to find wisdom and understanding from the Word of God to be sure you will not be one who is, 'destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge...' as Hosea 4:6 clearly explains. What are you waiting for? There's no better time than n-o-w. Selah. Amen (so be it)!"

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. ."  (Matthew 28:18-20)


*We look forward to joining with you again tomorrow, and please take a few minutes to invite for your friends who are lost, or who just need encouragement! God bless and keep you!*

_____________________________

This book is based on real-life matters that are crucial for each of us to address in our life. To ask questions, make a special donation, order a special quantity of books, or to share a testimony or prayer request, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on this blog below, and on our website.

We pray God bless you greatly for taking part in this important project, as you have greatly blessed the Toward The Mark, Inc. Family!

Your friends & servants in Christ,

Take me back to the top of this post.

Take me to the post from yesterday, *DAY 16*.

Take me to the first post of week 3, *DAY 11*.

Take me to the first post of week 2, *DAY 6*.

Take me to the beginning, *DAY 1* of this Blog.

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you onboard TODAY!

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:

~    "Keith Shealy & Wisdom Wednesday" on Facebook 

      

~  "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter
~  "Sharing Messages God Whispers" on the website
~  "Between The Lines TTM Podcast" by Keith Shealy 

      

This blog message, along with the rest of our inventory of Bible-based resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful monthly partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools, available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, for getting to know the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.

Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!

Mail tax-deductible contributions by check to the order of:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152. 

Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

What is It that Makes some Christians Passionate when others aren't?

         Keith and I are a team, passionate about reaching people with our music and writings that proclaim the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached.  We regularly offer our messages electronically by podcast, social media, website, and this blog.  I must say, however effective these outreaches prove to be, Keith has NOT stopped boldly, yet lovingly, approaching people at gas stations, supermarkets, and stop lights.  In fact, since about a month after we met in 2008, I haven't been able to count the people he befriends, everywhere we go, usually leaving them with one of his books or CDs.  Anyone who has seen him in action will tell you what a faith-building sight it is!  Keith knows, intimately, how God uses these opportunities to provide folks with something they need, at the place where they are, at exactly the right time.

         I hope that, as you read this blog, your heart, soul and spirit is stirred with an increased passion for oneness with Christ Jesus and for pouring into people.  I have referenced this writing in a personal letter we are mailing out this month to the friends, family members and financial partners of Toward The Mark.  If you would like to begin receiving regular mailings from us, just send an email request to Keith and BrendaLee Shealy or mail a printed request to:  Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.

Now...
about IT, this is Part I of II:
During rush hour traffic, a guy in a red pickup truck cut me off, the back corner of his truck barely missing the front of my car. I guess he was hoping to make it through the next intersection before the traffic signal turned red. My Mom would have said "If I didn't know better, I would think that fella' was going to a house fire." As God would have it, the guy did not make the red light, and I stopped directly behind him. On his back window I could see a decal with the Harley Davidson logo and the words "SOLD OUT JESUS FREAK."

Upon seeing that, I jumped out of my car, opened the trunk, and grabbed a copy of our book, XII Smooth Stones. (I keep a complete supply of our teaching resources in my car, because ministry opportunities can appear at any moment.) As I went up to the red truck, I signaled to the driver to roll down his window. With a surprised look on his face, he complied, and before he could speak, I handed him the book, saying "God bless you." As we pulled away from the light I could see him smiling and vigorously waving to me through his rear window.

Now, although I am able to sow God's Word regularly, it is not every day that I get the kind of encouraging response that I received later that evening from the driver of the red truck. Later that evening he sent an e-mail saying that, once he opened our book, XII Smooth Stones, he could not put it down, and before he knew it, he had read the entire book. He said in his e-mail that the teachings were everything that he had been craving and praying for, but was not getting from the church he had been attending. He then asked if I could speak to a men's group that meets on Tuesday evenings and bring copies of our new book. I replied that I would be honored to go and that Brenda and I would be praying for them.

Since that evening I have received several e-mails from the owner of the red truck. I also spoke to approximately thirty-five men for about an hour in an old garage where it was about 95 very humid degrees. These men were there because they wanted more of God! When I had finished speaking, I was able to sow into their lives over fifty copies of our books. This is but one example of the ways we are able to freely give because of the hard work of our team and the monthly financial support of a very small group of generous partners. None of this would have happened, however, if I had not seized the opportunity to approach the driver of the red pickup truck. For, once again, God had honored my morning prayer request to open a door to sow the good seed of Toward The Mark's teaching resources into the fertile soil of someone's life.

So I have a question for you: What is it that that would compel a Christian to jump out of a car at a busy intersection while most professing Christians would not? After all, Jesus instructed us to go "into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) How is it, then, that we seem to be hearing less and less about scripture-based evangelism? Here we stand at the threshold of our Lord's return and the very spirit of slumber that we are all warned not to entertain seems to be knocking Christians unconscious everywhere. Jesus knew this would happen, and He warned us numerous times, such as in the following passage of Scripture...

          "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." (Mark 13:31-37; Emphasis added.)

Those words have special meaning for us, since we are so close to the time of the End. The Lord wants us to be spiritually awake so that we can watch for His coming. However, even those who were alive when Jesus walked the Earth were in need of a spiritual jump-start. Hear what Jesus said to His disciples shortly after He had risen from the dead...

"Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them [To rebuke severely; censure; Scold] with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen." (Mark 16:14)

After getting their attention, the Lord immediately commanded them to go "into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15; Emphasis added.) They did...

"And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." (Mark 16:20; Emphasis added.)

So, what is IT? What would cause a person to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, having the same desire as God to see every creature come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? For starters, IT is having a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. When you examine the lives of those who fulfilled God's passion in their lives and in the lives of others, you will find that each of them had met Jesus Christ. And, because of their encounter, they laid their lives down, including plans, wishes, possessions, relationships, philosophies, etc., to witness to His Greatness.

Multitudes of people have heard about Jesus Christ, but the evidence of the vast majority is that they do not know Him. Meeting Jesus and knowing Him are so much more than having heard about Him. Once you have truly met Him, you will never be the same, and the impact of being in the Lord's presence will inspire you to seek from God what you cannot find any other way. This includes coming to know Him, even as He knows us.

One of the beauties of God's creation is that we are all different, and His approach in dealing with each of us encompasses those differences. So not all encounters with Christ are alike. For instance, there are those who have met Jesus as an all-consuming fire, such as Saul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul). Conversely, Jesus may be very gentle, or He may choose some manner in between. The Book of Acts records Saul's encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. At the time, Saul was traveling on the road to Damascus to arrest followers of Jesus as violators of the Law of Moses...

"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the thorns. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man." (Acts 9:3-7)

Saul fell to the ground in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Compare that with the account of the men who came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane...

"Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he (Jesus) had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground." (John 18:1-6; Emphasis added.)

The Bible documents other similar occurrences in both the Old and the New Testament, but such experiences are not limited to Biblical times. I have personally had several demobilizing encounters with Jesus Christ, but I have also encountered Jesus in more gentle ways that were just as profound, but much less taxing emotionally and physically. In our book, Letters from the Front, I describe in detail some of those events. If you have not read the book, and are interested in knowing more, our TowardTheMark INC. website has all of that and more in our other printed inventory available.

I know a brother in the Lord who testifies that the Lord visited him and his wife as she lay dying. With the gentleness of a lamb, the Savior kissed them both on their foreheads while speaking words of love and deliverance. His wife was miraculously healed that day! This brother also tells of a moment when he suddenly found himself in the presence of the Lord in Heaven. His soul was flooded with joy so quickly that his body felt like it would soon explode, and he pleaded for it to stop. This occurred in less time than it takes to read this paragraph.It is certain that our bodies cannot withstand the power of God's presence. In the parable of the garment and the wine bottles, Jesus taught that we need new bodies to be able to stand in His glorious presence, and to enjoy the fullness of the new life He brings. That same parable concludes with a warning about rejecting the new life that God offers to us through Christ.

         "And he spoke also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agrees not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desires new: for he says, The old is better." (Luke 5:36-39)

Observe how the old bottles will burst and perish if the fullness of the life of Christ is poured into them. God knows our limitations and will not put more on us than we can bear. As the psalmist wrote, "For he knows our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." (Psalm 103:14) On the other hand, He knows that through Him we can handle far more than we think. Also notice that the natural tendency is to reject what the Lord offers, preferring the old life to the new. "No man also having drunk old wine straightway desires new: for he says, The old is better."

This last point explains why it is likely that you have never been around someone who has encountered Christ, even within the avid church-going crowd. You may be thinking, I am faithful in tithing, Church attendance, and helping others, but I have never had an encounter with Jesus Christ. If you have never experienced anything like the things that we have shared with you in this letter, it in no way means that God does not love you, or that He respects someone else more than He does you. As the Scripture says, "God is no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:34)
Now, although God is not a respecter of persons, He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) You will only get out of something, what you are willing to put into it. This proves no less true concerning your becoming ONE with your Heavenly Father. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7) If you desire for the Lord to show Himself to you in a great way, then you must seek Him diligently. If you noticed, Paul did not say that God is a Rewarder of those who "merely" seek Him. He said that God is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him!

I share this with you in hopes that it will help instill in you an unquenchable desire to diligently seek God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and body. You must understand, this walk with God is an "all in or all out" endeavor! "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16) God wants nothing more than to draw close to us, but He is hindered only by our lack of desire to first draw close to Him! God's Word is clear on this.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:7-10)

Too many "Church folk" today are wandering around thinking that God does not love them for one reason or another. They leave Church lonely on Sundays wondering if God even exists. I say, try something new! Seek God diligently, offer up thanks to Him for who He is more than for what He can do for you. Also, if you have given yourself entirely to God and have yet to experience anything like I have shared in this letter, do not be discouraged. Rather be very encouraged. God will reveal Himself to you in His time...

"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." (Hebrews 10:35-36)

Be assured that God can show Himself to you in many different ways, and do not think that God only shows Himself to us in big ways. Some of my greatest experiences have been when God moved in the small matters of my life; Whether it was getting a much-needed check in the mail as a bill came due, getting an encouraging phone call when I needed it most, or hearing His soft and gentle whisper in my spirit. God has many ways by which He can reveal Himself to each of us; Such ways will build our faith like nothing else can.

We pray that this message has helped you better understand the importance of diligently seeking God. Remove all distractions from your life and seek Him with your whole heart! I also pray that, from this day forward, you will make God your permanent residence and will give your life to leading those around you, as Jesus prayed in the garden, into oneness with our Almighty God and King. 

To be continued...
Part II of this blog message is coming up within the coming month.

We invite you to take advantage of these additional Scripture-based truths we have available to help you Press Toward the Mark of becoming "one" with your Heavenly Father:
~ "Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" on Facebook;
~ Keith's "Between The Lines" Podcast on Libsyn;
~ "TTM Singing Sgt" on Twitter;
 and
~ "Sharing with you the Secrets that God Whispers to us" website scripture messages.

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