Gentle Shepherd Ministries

“And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). Right now, what are you holding onto tightly? What are you afraid of losing the most? It is easy to cling to something without realizing it. It can be my idea of life, a relationship, my possessions, even my rights to have what I think I deserve when it comes to life. The reality is maybe what I am clinging to is not all that bad, wrong, or wicked, but it proves to be oppressive because I can’t move forward, a hindrance because there is no personal growth, or a leanness to the spirit because it leaves me hollow.

I remember watching the story about how certain tribes find water in Africa. They cut a hole in a tree big enough for a monkey to get its hand through it and then they put the monkey’s greatest enticement in that hole: Salt. The monkey finds the salt and reaches into the hole to get it but their hold on the salt keeps them from getting their hand out of the hole. They refuse to let go of the prize, and as a result they are caught. The other aspect of the story is that they are given the salt but are tied up until they become so thirsty they don’t care who is following them to the water hole.

Sometimes my greatest challenge has been to let go. Whether I am holding onto something like a relationship that has become almost obsessive, a memory of something that has become a type of shrine, an excuse so I won’t forget the type of distress something left me in, a sentimental article that keeps me looking back at what was, but ceased to exist, or a right that insists I have every right to pursue and expect it, it all comes back to the world and not God.

Let’s face it, we want life on our terms, and the right to pursue what we want regardless of how wrong it will prove to be in the end. As long as we hold tightly to such things, we can’t grab ahold of the blessings of the present. As long as we cling to such matters, we can’t begin to cling to the Rock of Ages. As long as we worry about keeping or maintaining what we can’t hold onto forever, we will fail to hold onto God’s promises, and become fearful towards disruption, tormented about any type of loss, and miserable in the reality that eventually we will be forced to let go. Jesus made it clear, if we want to hold onto something, we must hold it lightly so we can easily let go of it if He should require it. If we are unwilling to let go, we will lose it, ending in bitterness, regret, and anger.

This reminds me of the fires on the altar. They were to be kept burning. I realize that for me, such holds on my life need to be put on the altar and what part the fire does not consume God will give back to me, purified and precious. Instead of the torment and misery that goes along with it, I now have a liberty to actually appreciate the blessings that come with things God freely gives.

We must not forget all gifts come from above, are beneficial to our spiritual well-being and will endure the testing, stand in the storms and withstand knowing everything we have is a matter of God’s grace.

Prayer: Lord, I can’t claim anything as being mine because You have given me everything. It belongs to You and I must be a good steward of it, but if You require it from me, I must be willing to let go of it so that my arms are free to reach up in sweet surrender and my hands are free to receive what You have for me. Amen. - Rayola Kelley

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). Paul warned us in the last days that men would be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Where our affections are is where the focus of our heart will be, and it is what we will naturally pursue. If we love something we will desire it above all else.

In my last post I showed how what we see can’t bring real hope, satisfaction, happiness, meaning, or fulfillment to our lives. It is what we can’t see that determines the quality of our life. It is important to note that we are being conditioned by the world around us as to our agendas, preferences, and pursuits. We have been accustomed to make our life on earth all about us, surviving this world, and getting the most out of it for ourselves. In our world it is all about what we think is right, and what will make our life happy and complete.

The problem with the world of self is that it makes for a small world that leaves us frightened at any type of change and disruption, insecure because our reality is fragile, and inept because we refuse to be challenged to reach our potential. We allow our fears to make us stubborn towards changes, our insecurities angry at any challenge, and our ineptness to excuse ourselves from stepping outside of our small perimeter to really discover the life God has for us.

It is for the reason of self-preservation of small worlds, limited realities and resolutions to hold on to what we are comfortable with that many fail to really follow Jesus into the life He has called them to. It is for this reason we must deny ourselves of the self-life with its rights, pick up a cross of personal discipline and learn to follow Jesus into the life He is calling us to.

We are told that Jesus is seated on the right hand of majesty. Consider what David said. That the Lord will show us the path to life. We know this path is called discipleship and can only be accessed and walked out by following Jesus. He stated that on the right hand of God are pleasures that will last forever. This revelation brings us back to the reality, that all we truly need, should be seeking, and must be willing to lose are any and all parts of this present life and world to know the true pleasure that can only be found in Jesus. It is from our life in Christ that we will discover the fulness of joy.

God is a God of order. Most people fail to see the order laid out in Scripture. Note the order in this Scripture because to miss any step when it comes to the order of God, is to be out of order, out of step with God. We must first walk in the path of righteousness that He shows us Scripturally, before we can discover the joy that is attached to such a life, and it is from this joy that we will discover pleasures for ever more.

Prayer: Lord, we want life to bow down to our self-life, but life is about revealing the smallness, emptiness and ineptness of such a life. Lord, give us a vision beyond the small world of self, the vain world around us, and the limited world of understanding so that we can catch glimpses of the pleasures that are attached to Your glory. Amen. - Rayola Kelley

Long gone, and lost forever, so just live on the memories. That’s the sad conclusion I finally came to concerning REAL watermelons. Perhaps you remember those big, juicy, sweet, bright red watermelons with the shiny black seeds (which are very good for you, by the way, if you chew them up.) Plus, way back in the “old days” before time-consuming technology kidnapped and held hostage the brains and creativity of most human beings, there was such a thing as watermelon seed spitting contests. Since it was so hot and the thought of ice-cold watermelon still haunted me, I gave in and bought one of those “man-made” seedless things. As I cut into it, I lectured myself to be fair-minded, and even thankful for it before I took the first bite. However, all my good intentions went down the drain when the watered-down flavor of the pinkish pulp left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. Disgust, like high-octane jet fuel, set fire to my mental list of woes against modern man’s so-called “improvements” on God’s creation in general. Fast-forward a couple of weeks, and guess what we found in the local grocery store? A huge box (with a sign that I read five times to make sure it really said what it said) of seeded Hermiston (Oregon) watermelons! There were only a few of them left which caused me to realize that I wasn’t the only person left on this planet with a taste for the real thing. Of course, our friend and co-laborer in the Gospel, Carrie had to do the heavy lifting. That thing weighed so much that we couldn’t get through the check-stand in a normal fashion because the scale didn’t go that high. Finally, the red-faced assistant manager, who was checking us out and who really wanted to get rid of us, only charged us for ten pounds! Later, when we finally cut into our blessed big “blimp” and saw, smelled and tasted that first juicy bite, we praised the Lord “Who satisfies our mouth with good things; so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s” Psalm 103:5. God knows what we have need of to bring satisfaction to not only our taste buds and physical needs, but to the cravings of our soul and spirit as well. “For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” Psalm 107:9. Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled” Matthew 5:6. In Psalm 34:10 we read, “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” Wonderful are the promises of the Lord, but we must take note of the conditions that accompany them such as longing and hungering in our soul for goodness, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and seeking the Lord in His Word and in prayer. Only God can satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. – J. Haley

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all” (Jude 14-15a). Although many people avoid the Old Testament with it laws, teachings, and examples, I study, read, and cross reference it with the New Testament. I find myself sometimes shaking in my shoes, knowing God has not changed and yet the God who is being presented nowadays seems to be getting further away from the God of the Bible.

God’s holiness for the most part has been buried under false presentations of His love and grace to cover up the real issue that plagues mankind, destroys relationships and breaks fellowship, and that is sin. The truth is, God has not changed His attitude towards sin. No matter what dispensation one lived in or now lives in, under the Law or grace, God has always maintained that in the end HE will judge sin that has not been properly addressed and that man has always been saved by grace through faith.

In the Old Testament, there was sacrifice where the blood of animals made atonement to cover sin and in the New Testament, Jesus became the sacrifice to redeem us from the power, claims, and judgments on sin. However, to ensure that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness entails true repentance and confession of sin that will bring us under the blood of the New Covenant to ensure pardon and reconciliation with God.

It seems that in today’s Americanized Christianity, the attitude is that God will overlook sin because of love, but we must remember the angels lived in a perfect environment but when Satan rebelled with a third of the angels, they fell from their estate of glory into darkness and damnation. Noah found grace with God because he walked with Him before the flood, but was aware that in the flood all creation was being destroyed because the imaginations of the people were continually wicked, and their way violent while he was being spared of all judgment in the ark because of his faith. Abraham was a man of faith, but he witnessed God judging S***m and Gomorrah and prophetically saw his descendants taste 400 years of oppressive bo***ge. I could go on and on but you get the point.

This brings us to now. How many warnings are there in the New Testament that when the Lord comes back it is as Judge to judge the whole world that lies in sin, lies, and rebellion? We see that Enoch who walked with God prophetically saw the end of our age. Jesus is coming back with His saints to judge the sinners, the wicked and the evil along with the religious people who, like Cain, decided what their unacceptable sacrifice to the Lord would be, as well as those like Balaam who sold their calling for filthy lucre, and people like Korah who, in spite of their high calling, was not content with their position and felt they deserved a place of greater prominence in spite of the fact God had not ordained it as so. (See Jude.)

God’s attitude towards sin and methods of judging have never changed. It is not His heart to see man perish in his sin, but man in his rebellion and sin chooses to believe his personal “Titanic ship” will never become shipwrecked and sink. I have no idea what these individuals think will keep their ship afloat when they run into the iceberg on their day of reckoning, but whatever it is will prove foolish in the end.

Keep in mind, Enoch was only the seventh generation from Adam when he saw this judgment. The question is, has sin in your life been properly addressed? Are you like Enoch who can be entrusted with the prophetic because of your walk with God, and like Noah you are finding grace because you have learned to walk with God in this wicked generation? Are you like Abram whose faith gave him the ability to intercede on behalf of two wicked cities and as a result Lot was saved?

You can’t have this authority before God if you are walking in sin, assurance in your position before God if you are walking in agreement with the sinner, and confidence of His deliverance if you are trusting the wicked world around you to save you when it can’t because it is also doomed. And finally, can you expect a holy God to spare you from His judgment when you are toying with rebellion while parlaying with unbelief and disobedience?

Prayer: Lord, we separate ourselves from understanding Your ways which are brought out in the Old Testament while trying to cling to some vague notions about Your love and grace in the New Testament. Lord, Your love addressed our sin by way of a cross, Your grace was shown to those who truly learned to walk with You by faith, and true faith was given to those who simply chose to believe Your Word and Your promises. Forgive us for too often playing the fool who ends up being foolish in our ways, inept because of unbelief towards You, wicked in our actions and evil in our thoughts. Amen. - Rayola Kelley

“For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches” (Romans 11:16). In the last post I made reference to Israel being represented by trees and the members of the Living Church represented by branches. Without Israel, there would be no salvation, for Jesus came out of Judah, and there would be no tree in which we could be engrafted in to receive the life and promises that came by way of Jesus Christ.

To God, Israel represented His first fruits as a separate people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood among the pagan nations. When it comes to the church, Jesus is the first fruits of a new creation that He will manifest His life through in branches. Each illustration reminds us that, first of all, we have a purpose on this earth. It is not just about being some living entity, identified to some religion so that we can sit back on our laurels and wait for some great intervention or blessing from God. We are to be a conduit, a connection between heaven and earth that will become an avenue in which the Son of God’s life can flow to others. If we lack the heavenly connection, we will be of no earthly use or good to our Lord or to others.

The life of Christ in us is pure and devoid of man’s cultivation. God cultivates us with the purest of Spirit and truth, but it will come down to our relationship with Him that will determine the quality of fruit. What kind of fruits, if any, do we offer to Him in worship and others in service? When someone comes up to us to see if we have anything of substance to offer but only finds fig leaves of religious appearance and platitudes, they are left with disappointment. If someone comes up to us to taste of the fruit, but all they taste is something without flavor, substance, or value, they will walk away disappointed.

Heavenly fruit will never leave one feeling disappointed, dissatisfied, or frustrated making the claims of Christianity appear as nothing more than a big scam. God’s supplies are never empty, His means never disappointing, or will His ways prove to be a big joke or letdown. However, to produce the best fruit, we can’t be partially connected to the vine or tree in half-hearted devotion or service; rather, we must be engrafted in and abiding in the source of life itself, Jesus Christ, to ensure our fruit benefits others and brings Him glory.

Prayer: Lord, we often simply want to get by, get through, and get any unpleasantries in life over with quickly. We want to give just enough to leave an impression without having our fruit really examined by others and tested by You. However, Lord in the end, our fruit will stand, fall, or be completely missing. Lord, I want to be a branch that will always offer the best of Your life to others because that is why I am here. Amen. - Rayola Kelley

Awesome challenge! ~ J.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kECU_sZPJHY

Series: Jude 19

We Must Walk With God

http://gentleshepherd.com/index.php/sermons?preview

SERMONS – Gentle Shepherd Ministries Rayola’s Latest Sermons – Due to the size of these files and seeking the broadest compatibility, we now host them on YouTube. Please contact us if you would like a CD of Rayola’s Sermons.

“For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression: for righteousness, but behold a cry” (Isaiah 5:7)” Israel is referred to as various living trees and vegetation. Here it is referred to as a vineyard that the Lord planted in a certain place, Jerusalem, while the men of Judah were considered a pleasant plant. Israel is also represented by olive and fig trees.

When it comes to the members of the living church, they are referred to as branches that have been engrafted into the olive tree, Israel, in Romans 11 and the branch of the vine, Jesus who came out of the vineyard, Israel in John 15. The key to these illustrations is two-fold: 1) they are both living entities and 2) they are meant to produce fruit. However, without being connected and actually abiding in the vine or being grafted in, a branch is worthless because it is lifeless. When it comes to the vine or the tree, if it is not firmly planted in the right ground and properly cultivated, it becomes worthless, unable to produce any real quality of fruit. This is something that God was pointing out to Israel and Jesus has made it clear to the Church.

There is an incident in Matthew 21:19 where Jesus cursed a fig tree for lacking fruits. The main issue is that fig trees did produce figs in early spring before producing the actual crop later on. Jesus was seeking the first fruits of it. Remember the first fruits were to be dedicated to the Lord. It matters little how healthy the tree looks if it fails to reach its potential to produce quality fruit. Firstfruits were automatically dedicated to the Lord, for they had not been touched by the cultivation of man’s efforts but were in their purest form. Even though Jesus cursed the tree, it gave Him the opportunity to teach on the miraculous ability of faith to tap into the impossible.

As the vinedresser, God has every right to expect fruit from our lives. It is the only recorded time Jesus cursed something during His earthly ministry even though the tree looked healthy. God plants, prunes and cultivates, but what kind of fruit is produced comes down to the relationship (response) the tree has to the vinedresser, and the branch has with the vine. The fruit will always tell on the tree or the branch; therefore, it can’t be hidden. It does not matter how religious (healthy) we look to others, if we lack the right fruit, it will reveal that something is clearly missing in our Christian lives.

We must always consider our relationship with the Lord based on our attitudes and fruits and never our ideas of who we think we are before Him. Our ideas of self can be greatly exaggerated, overrated, and like those of the Laodicean church, far from how He sees us. He not only said it once or twice, but in many ways, and from different angles. We will always be known by the essence and quality of the fruit that comes out of our lives.

Prayer: Lord, we like to think it is about appearance and activities, but it will always come back to the fruit. Forgive us for keeping our Christian life about surface matters while avoiding going deep into the soil of our heart and checking out if we have been firmly grafted into You, our Vine of life. Amen. - Rayola Kelley

“But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over this place, and recover the l***r (2 Kings 5:11).” Every time I read this story it reminds me of a person that almost blew it.

The question is why did this person, Naaman almost blow it? Upon a young handmaiden’s suggestion that Naaman, a l***r, seek out a real prophet she knew of, this great and honorable captain of the Syrian host traveled to Samaria, but he went to the king seeking healing rather than locate a prophet. Is that not how it is for most of us, we seek out those who are in an influential position for something only God can address?

Consider the pressure the king felt, he rent his clothes declaring, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive?” The king felt Naaman was setting him up to fail so that he could render some mischief against him.

Now the real man of God, Elisha heard of the situation and he asked the king why he rent his clothes when Samaria had a real prophet among them. The problem is, we don’t always recognize those who are true men and women of God who labor among us. We are always looking in high places where positions, accolades, popularity, and degrees play a big part in our attitude towards a matter instead of seeking the One who is above all in heavenly places. We are always looking around and about and not looking for those who quietly prove they are servants of God.

Naaman went to Elisha, but instead of Elisha meeting him personally, he sent a message to him with explicit instructions as to what he needed to do to be healed. How did Naaman respond? He was downright insulted. He expected the prophet to come out and give him some performance but when it comes to God, it is never about performance but obedience.

Due to the fact that Naaman was honorable, he could be reasoned with by one of his wise servants, and that is the only thing that often keeps a person from blowing it. Our natural tendency is to stick to our idea of how something should be delivered or carried out. However, God’s ways are not ours and it takes wise individuals to tell us why not do what is required. The reasoning is simple. What will we lose by believing the instructions and what if we gain what we are seeking? That should be the essence of our questions. We think we may be risking much, when in reality we have nothing to lose and everything to gain when it comes to believing God.

Naaman went down to the Jordan River as instructed to dip seven times, but not in faith. And guess what happened? the seventh time he dipped, he came out with the flesh of a little child and was clean. Sometimes we are faithless, but God will always be faithful to His Word. It is upon responding to His Word that we find that God is true to His Word in every way.

We blow it because we will not believe God. We often have our own ideas as to how God will bring about a matter to prove a point, but God has nothing to prove. We miss it because we will not follow His explicit instructions laid down in His Word, and when we fail to do what He says, we remain in the same state, only in the end it will eventually destroy us as we become more skeptical towards the simplicity of God’s instructions.

Prayer: Lord, we start out as heathens, but find ourselves desperately seeking some deliverance. We are shocked, a bit put off at believing that which is unseen, wrestling with simple instructions, and are about to throw our hands up in the air as we get ready to walk away, but reasoning somehow challenges us to try it. In the end we find salvation, and because You are faithful to Your Word, we are made new and whole. Praise Your name for being faithful to the end. Amen. - Rayola Kelley

“And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (2 Corinthians 6:15) I think one of the big surprises for many people is just how pagan the world is in its practices and presentations. We are appalled at the half-time shows during some of the football games, recently sickened by displays of blatant wickedness at the Olympics, and have finally begun to stand up and sing the National Anthem at baseball games when they try to do away with it.

In many of our societies, this paganism has been covered with veneers of cultural refinement, religious garb, and a type of elite snobbery that we are not as bad as those barbaric half-naked pagans with their various symbols often tattooed on their bodies, jumping up and down before their idolatrous altars, and swinging to the hypnotic musical beat or operating in some drug-induced, altered state in order to have some type of experience with the unseen world. The truth is we are worse because we are HYPOCRITES about it.

We compare ourselves with them while feeling smug we are not as obvious in our idolatrous worship as they, even though we are just as pagan. We judge them while condoning like practices in our midst. We can’t imagine acting like them; but yet in our refinement we prove to be just as foolish, cruel, and clueless about how our actions and ways are affecting others. Oswald Chambers referred to such paganism as “Civilized Paganism.” In religion, we have been conditioned by a terrible mixture of Christian theology with worldly (pagan) practices. The problem is that it is all demonic.

It does not matter what refinement we cover paganism with and what religious activities we do in order to cover just how fleshly it is, we are not worshipping the holy God of the universe in Spirit and truth, while standing in holy fear and awe; rather, we are worshipping the god of this world, Satan. Paganism leads us back before the flood and eventually to a popular symbol that rose up after the flood—the tower of Babel where man was building a monument to himself to bypass God and any future judgments. The core of this religion is humanism where man somehow obtains godhood on his own or a right status before some fickle idol. It is where the strongest survive, while the preferred idol is Baal, the altar has been erected to Molech where children are being freely offered, and the various lifeless, false deities of past nations that have been renamed and reinvented by the times we live in. No matter how you look at it, the source is idol worship and the core is paganism, all of which creates oppressive darkness in the soul.

Am I shocked that paganism is raising its ugly head in the midst of the spiritual vacuum of this day of great darkness? No, because it has always been there. It used to be hidden in darkness, but since the likes of “political correctness” and “woke,” it is now on full display along with other abominable practices, but it no longer has a need to hide. Keep in mind, such paganism takes center stage when the church becomes more worldly and ceases to hold up the true standard of holiness; lawlessness rules societies, lewdness is a right-of-passage for the elite, rebellion the norm, the mantra of hatred toward righteousness spews out like hot lava, and truth is an expensive rare gem that will cost much in the end, which could include one’s life.

The reality is, mankind will always regress into blatant paganism if he does not fill the spiritual vacuum with God and His holy ways. This paganism can even be seen in churches, but we fail to discern it because we have been conditioned to tack God onto our fleshly, religious activities that allow the flesh to dance before pagan altars while paying homage to the idols of the age.

Prayer: Lord, we forget paganism is a natural worship of creation in one form or another that allows for lusts to operate unabated by any moral standard, imagination to reach heights of euphoria that will end in grave disillusionment, and the worship of lifeless idols that have no life in them. It is founded on superstition due to ignorance of You. It is doomed, and like the ages before it, civilizations that have given way to it and promoted it have been buried in the ashes of judgment and the dust of forgetfulness. Keep us from the natural, and cause us to reach for that which is true and righteous, ever proving to be excellent to You our great Savior, God, Lord, and Judge. Amen. - Rayola Kelley

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). The question I must ask myself is do I want to really know what is really happening around me, and if I do, is it to confirm my reality, or is it to be prepared to stand in reality of what is really going on? So many times, we are bent on confirming what we know rather than ensuring we know Jesus. We major in the minors and minor in the majors causing us to miss making it to home base as to what is truth.

When it comes to the flesh the need to know is based on insecurities about being wrong and the possible repercussions of being rejected and mocked. When it comes to a wrong spirit because pride is behind it, then the need to know is about coming out on top and not being found to be foolish, ridiculous, inept, or obtuse. We need to clearly discern why we need to know and make sure we are not trying to stand according to our own understanding.

My NEED to know what God’s choice, or plan, is in a matter is not to be right, but to be prepared to respond properly. I WANT to know because if or when major prophetic events happen, I will be standing on the Rock of truth, ready to be a voice of heavenly authority, Biblical reason in darkness, encouragement in despair, and a ministry of hope to those who find themselves in utter chaos and despair.

As a saint of the Most High, I struggle to remember it is about gaining God’s perspective and not going with what I think I know or understand. I know in part and from that limited perspective I know I am not capable of making sound judgments without first seeking God’s take on a matter. That is why I seek God about all matters, while trusting that as long as my heart desires to know truth, and is pure in receiving it, He will show me what I need to know to make wise judgment calls.

I have learned that when you operate according to God’s perspective, you are probably going to stand out because you will not go with the flow of the world. You will not become part of the many voices of the world that are taking sides because your line is attached to the Rock of Ages that never moves from truth and righteousness, but you will also not be standing alone on your own zealous mound of opinions while lacking God’s perspective and love. You are going to be walking a fine line as people either cheer you on or throw rocks at you. I must admit, I fear becoming one of the many voices of the world that drown out the vulnerable voices, yell for the truth to be crucified, mock righteousness in an attempt to silence all opposition so I can maintain my take on a fragile reality that can’t afford to be shaken.

Prayer: Lord, we are pathetic. We think we know, when we don’t. We think we see, when we have become blinded. We think we perceive when we are missing it. I love how Paul stressed that it is not WHAT we know that counts, as much as it is WHO we know. We must seek to know You, to see You, to hear You and to gain Your heavenly perspective. Amen. - Rayola Kelley