To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 2:4-5

We are living stones. Our works will stand if they are unto the Lord, otherwise, they will fly away as dust.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy;
for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Our workmanship honors the Lord Jesus Christ as He dwells in each of us.

Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture,
Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious:
and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. 2 Peter 2:6

Jesus Himself is the Cornerstone.

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder,
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.
But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 
If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word,
being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 2 Peter 2:7-8

Jesus has been offending people since people were created and likely the fallen angels before.
Though the gospel is preached, not all will accept it, though He is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords, not every one will acknowledge this truth for it is not acceptable to many.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness
into His marvellous light: 1 Peter 2:9

Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:10

Obtained mercy. Accepted mercy. Have been given mercy by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts,
which war against the soul; 
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:11-12

Remembering that we are foreigners here. We will not fit in.
When others see our good works, that glorify God when He opens their eyes.

We are not supposed to fit in. We are likely feeling less and less a part of things.
If you talk to those who are not following Christ, you encounter much sin in conversation and anger, hatred, unforgiveness, pride, adoration for certain types of sin and the list goes on.
You can try to stand up for Christ, but there is no way to fix all the things that come up
and if you are listening to the Holy Spirit, you must wait for His wisdom.
Sometimes, there is nothing that He wants you to say. Praying helps open ears and hearts.
Those prayers can be before, during and after such encounters. Like Paul said, pray without ceasing.

God does not grow weary.
He allowed much affliction on His saints and then came through for them.
Are we to be angry at God when He allows affliction or suffering?
Job’s wife, who spoke foolishly said,
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. Job 2:9
While it is easy to judge her for that, many of us have thought such foolish things toward God,
not understanding His ways, feeling forsaken and left out in the cold.
God does delay for many reasons.
Sometimes it can be our own faults.
Our prayers can be hindered.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3

Sometimes we miss it.
Sometimes we have done nothing wrong, like Daniel.

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved,
understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent.
And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
Then said he unto me, Fear not,
Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand,
and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. Daniel 10:11-12

So, whether something you are doing is blocking your prayers
or whether there are other conditions that delay the answer, God is working.
Seek Him always and seek Him for wisdom and strength and He will surely give it to you,
even if it seems to be delayed. He will come through. Keep knocking, keep asking.
His promises are yes and amen.

For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 2 Corinthians 1:20

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If Israel is attacked, the Lord will fight for them. If they launch the attack, well, they better be sure God is directing them to do so.

History speaks for itself.

We can look in the Bible to see the multiple stories when Kings either sought the Lord about whether they should attack or not. Those who went against the Lord or who battled when they did not have the Lord’s blessing were greatly humbled.
This happened time and time again.

In this present day, we have the Holocaust which is brought to memory.
A world war was fought over it and those who oppressed the Jews were defeated.

Hitler and his minions did not fare well. Neither did Japan who fought against the allies who were trying to free the Jews.
The help came far too long into the ethnic cleansing of the Jews.

Then, we have the 6-Day War. A good example that God still takes care of the Jews as He has promised He would throughout scripture. Israel won a war in 6 days against several countries Egypt, Jordan, Syria and captured the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights. They would not have been able to do that without God’s help.

The voices against the Jews are loud today. They are a hated people. Their God will not let them down. He will bring about their Salvation as He has promised in scripture many times. God will fight for them if they look toward Him.

Maybe God won’t really rain down hailstones on our enemies.
Maybe He will send hornets.

Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left,
and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. Deuteronomy 7:20

Or perhaps God will slay them with an angel.

And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour,
and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria.
So he returned with shame of face to his own land.
And when he was come into the house of his god,
they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword. 2 Chronicles 32:21

Or, maybe He’ll just do the job Himself.

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out,
and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand:
and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 2 Kings 19:35

Whichever story you choose, and there are many more in the Bible where God fights for His people, know that He fights for us and takes care of us and does what He intends to do. We never know how God will fight for or how He will defend His people, us included.

Your word is alive
Your word commands
Your word restores
Your word heals
Your word mends
Your word divides
Your word examines
Your word penetrates our innermost being
Your word performs what you determine it will
Your word sings
Your word whispers
Your word declares
It declares what has been and what will be
Your word softens
Your word also hardens
Your word proclaims
Your word is strong
Your word is mighty
Your word will be throughout all eternity
Your word will never pass away
Your word is powerful
Your word is everlasting
Your word opens doors and closes them also
Your word is a lamp to show us where to go and illuminates the path we walk on
You are Your Word, Jesus
Your word reaches to the highest level and the lowest depths of the Earth
Your word is the beginning and the end
Your word sanctifies
Your word cleanses
Your word speaks life
Your word is to be honored
Your word is to be praised
Your word gives new birth to those who ask
Your word gives death to those who refuse it

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example
was minded to put her away privily. 
But while he thought on these things, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying,
Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for He shall save his people from their sins. 
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him,
and took unto him his wife:
And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called His name JESUS.
Matthew 1:18-25

The Birth of Jesus in Luke

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus,
that all the world should be taxed. 
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea,
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;
(because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and Angels in Luke

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. 
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 
And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 
And this shall be a sign unto you;
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said one to another,
Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass,
which the Lord hath made known unto us. 
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph,
and the babe lying in a manger. 
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad
the saying which was told them concerning this child. 
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 
And the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen,
as it was told unto them. Luke 2:1-20

The Sign of Immanuel in Isaiah

Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. 
And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. butter and honey shall He eat,
that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good,
the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. Isaiah 7:10-16

We can bind evil. That can be a form of spiritual warfare if the things people are doing are evil.
The binding can also be a spiritual hinderance.
If we are not forgiving them, which is a command from the Lord, we can get in the way.
We are told to forgive and we are expected to forgive, from the bottom of our hearts.
If we are cursing people rather than blessing them, which is what we are told to do,
that can be a type of binding.
The spiritual world is real and has consequences when we follow Jesus’ commands and when we don’t.

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; 
and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. John 20:23

We, as humans, have power in our prayers in our words.
We ought to always our words and actions to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ,
to love other humans into the kingdom with God’s love, that He so graciously bestows upon us.

I can relate to what God said to Joshua: ‘Wherever the soul of your foot goes.’
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Joshua 1:3
That means to me that God blesses us every which way when we are obedient.
It’s the obedient part that I struggle with sometimes, making sure it’s really God giving the direction.

Sometimes there is no magic fix. No matter how many great scriptures you read that seem to fit, they don’t really help with the answer. You pray for wisdom, but when will it arrive? Shouldn’t it just be there?
Solomon had all that wisdom and he blew it big time.

My boss that I cannot stand working for gave me an outstanding review.
I was flabbergasted. Why would she do that. Aren’t we at an impasse?
Isn’t the Lord Jesus telling me leave?
God is not the author of confusion and that is what I have.
I’m going to keep seeking, keep praying, keep struggling…

I’ll keep you posted.

Has Jesus taught you of His goodness?
Of how He suffered and died for you and all of humanity?
He paved the way for humans to be able to be close to God.

If you walk in front of Him and expect Him to tag along, that won’t work.
He told us to follow Him.
The bible described Noah as a man who walked with God.
Jesus is the leader. He leads us. He also desires our fellowship.
He does not want us to do what we do for Him out of duty.
He wants us to want to serve Him out of love and adoration.
We cannot pay Him back, ever.
He doesn’t expect us to.
He does, however, want our whole committal to Himself.
When He first drew you to show you He was Lord, there was a glimpse of Who He is, that He is God.
That is the beginning of our journey.
He wants us to keep that love, the same love and desire that we had when we first met Him.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Revelation 2:4
How do we lose our first love or how do we keep our first love?
Love the truth and do not love the world.
There is no room for love of the world in a life dedicated to the Lord.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15
We live in the world but we are not of the world.
The stark warning follows…
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Revelation 2:5
Who wants Jesus to remove their lampstand? That doesn’t sound good.

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. Matthew 10:38

Have you felt the chill in the air?
The love of many has grown cold.
There is a division occurring between those who love the truth and those who do not.
God still brings grace and peace for those who serve Him.
Those who choose not to will not be able to tolerate His Spirit
which is on those who have a strong bond with Jesus.

Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel:
for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,
because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. Hosea 4:1

Jesus told us we would be hated for His name’s sake.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.
If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you;
if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.
But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake,
because they know not him that sent Me. John 15:18-21

This is not the same as someone just not liking you for you, for your personality.
This division is that they cannot tolerate the Spirit of God inside of those who are strong in the Lord.
Only the Lord can see the difference, but there is a battle going on all the time.
Good verses Evil.
If you hate the world and bear witness to Christ, it can cause conflict,
even with those who are Christians as not all Christians serve the Lord at the same level.

Remember when Moses came down from the Mountain Top after spending time with the Lord?
His face shone. (Exodus 24:39)
Remember what the people said about the apostles?
They were ignorant and unlearned men, but they have been with the Lord. (Acts 4:13)
How did they know that?

People who reject the Lord will not be able to tolerate you if you are walking with the Lord.
In many cases, they won’t even know why.

The deception is very strong.
This is that same hatred that made Cain rise up and kill Abel,
the same hatred that made Joseph’s brothers despise him for his dreams,
the same hatred that made Michal hate David when he danced before the Lord.
It is also the same evil hatred that caused Haman to want to kill Mordecai,
and the same evil hatred that caused the crowds to shout, Crucify Him! Crucify Him!
when they were given a choice to free Jesus or Barabbas.
This hatred caused those to rise up against Stephen when he was stoned,
the same evil hatred that was in the people who gave Paul many lashes
and the same hatred that caused the Holocaust.
We have the same evil hatred rises against those who serve God today.

People cannot stand the Spirit of God and the evil hatred is getting bolder and more concrete.
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh,
that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. John 16:2
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you,
delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons,
being brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. Luke 21:12

Cold hearts have always been here, but as Jesus said, “the love of many shall wax cold.”