DIVINE FUSION

Nuclear fusion is the merging of atoms to form a new heavier element, while releasing a large amount of energy.

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt. 18: 19-20

When Jesus is invited into the equation, a new reality is created and great energy is released. When he joined two men on the road to Emmaus, (then later vanished), they reflected that their hearts burned within them as he caused them to understand the scriptures.

After his crucifixion, Jesus appeared to the disciples in a locked room, where he breathed upon them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." The fearful disciples became brave and outspoken, spreading the news of salvation despite torture and execution. When we invite Jesus to join us, he transforms and energizes us in a new and living way. (Hebrews 10).

OPENING MYSTERIES

The safecracker listens intently for sounds of tumblers moving inside the lock. An earpiece magnifies the tiny clicks as he patiently turns the dial to gain access to the treasure inside.

"I will break open mysteries with my music, and my song will release riddles solved." Psalm 49:4

Elijah heard from God not in the storm or the earthquake or the fire, but in a still small voice. When Daniel received supernatural insight into Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, he said, "There is a God in heaven that reveals mysteries." Proverbs says, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the privilege of kings to seek it out."

God has so many mysteries and answers to reveal to us, but we must quiet ourselves and be attentive to find his voice. He inhabits our praises, so our songs to him will help release and open the vault of treasures of heavenly wisdom.

OUR NEARBY REMEDY

Jewel weed is a wild plant that often grows near poison ivy. If you have touched poison ivy in the wild, look nearby for jewel weed and rub its sap anywhere that you have been touched.

The juice that comes from its the stems helps prevent and clear up a poison ivy rash, relieving the itching and drying blisters. It is one of the many placements in nature where the problem and the remedy are found very close together.

Jesus said, "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

This Earthly life can be very frustrating and filled with troubles, which we will never encounter in the Heavenly realm. But God sent his Son to be always near to us and to be the most excellent remedy for all we face.

GOD'S SHINING LIGHTS

A black hole is an area in space where the gravitational field becomes so strong that no particles or even radiation such as light are released from it.

"For you will appear among them as shining lights in the universe, offering them the words of eternal life." Phil. 2:15 - 16 TPT

We can become so consumed by our problems and worries that our focus becomes only inward, leaving nothing to offer to others. When we shift our focus to Jesus and all he has done for us, then we naturally shine outward and brighten those around us.

BREAKING FREE

The incandescent heat and powerful thrust of the rocket engines fight against gravity and the drag of the atmosphere. Shock waves shudder from the resistance until the craft finally breaks free into clear space.
     Flying silently now, without a need for earthly fuel, there is new clarity in seeing stars and planets and the Earth below.

   "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."   Isaiah 55:9

     The Israelites had to leave their homes and break away from the grip of Pharaoh to worship God in the wilderness. We face drag and resistance whenever we strive to break free of the world's atmosphere, to meet the Lord in spirit and truth.

GOD'S FREEDOM

      It's a beautiful day, but the anchor is stuck on bottom, perhaps on a reef or submerged wreck. The captain turns on the powerful winch, which overcomes the resistance and lifts the anchor, freeing the boat to cruise into the open sea. 

     "The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Look! There he is - God's Lamb!   He will take away the sins of the world!"  John 1:29. (The Passion Translation)  

    The footnote for this verse says that the Greek word for "take away" also means "lift off (the burden)."  This word was often used for lifting up and away an anchor from the ocean floor.  Jesus came to set us free, to lift us up from being stuck on guilt, shame and regret.

GOD'S BRIGHT LIGHT

Pure white light shines into the core of the prism. Depending upon the individual cut and composition of the glass, a spectrum of varied colors shines out toward the viewer's eye.

"Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life."
Ph. 2: 15-16

We are like prisms, each one of us unique, as we receive the pure light of the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Romans 5: 5 says "...God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Without the light shining in, the prism is just a piece of glass.

GOD, MY CONSTANT HELP

When the trees are lush and full with green leaves, we cannot see the hills behind them.  When the season grows cold and the leaves shrivel and drop, we see the hills that have been there all along.

    “ I lift my eyes up to the hills - where does my help come from?  My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and Earth.”
                        Psalm 121:1

When our life is healthy and plentiful, we sometimes lose sight of the awareness that God is behind it all.  When the cycle of life becomes more difficult, we can better see that God is always there, mighty and ready to help.

GOD'S GREAT LOVE

GOD'S GREAT LOVE

Love swelled in the father's heart as he watched his little boy playing in the driver's seat. He smiled as he pictured him growing older and making life's choices.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

The natural love of a parent is huge - far far greater than whether the child always does what is right or best. The same powerful love is still there as the child matures, sometimes making wrong turns or having collisions.

God planted that great love in a parent's heart so we have a sense of his enormous love for us, a love that exists far beyond whether we always do right.

GOD'S OPEN DOOR

Many storm doors have a pneumatic piston that works to pull the door closed. They also have a stop on the piston slide that can block the door from closing completely.

"By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place." Hebrews 10:20. NLT

Jesus opened a door, through belief in him, to begin to experience life on earth as it is in heaven. But our world so often looks like there is no God, with its tragedies, evils and mysteries always pulling like the piston to close that door. Faith, praise and gratitude are stops that keep our door open to the atmosphere of heaven.

GOD'S BEST WAY

       Speeding down the road, fuming at the way he'd been treated at work, the driver almost veered into the trees.  When his tires touched the rumble strips built into the side of the road, the noise and vibration brought him to his senses. He let off on the gas and steered back onto safe portion of the road.

     “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”      Galatians 5:22 23

     These characteristics of unity with the Holy Spirit mark the best road of living. When opposite characteristics, like anger, resentment and selfishness drive us, the negative emotions that accompany them warn us to steer back onto the smoother roadway.

GOD'S PURE BREATH

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. The Mayo Clinic says it is a well-established treatment for decompression sickness, serious infections and wounds that do not heal.
In a hyperbaric chamber, the air pressure is increased two or three times the normal level, which allows the lungs to gather much more of the pure oxygen. As the blood carries this extra oxygen through the body, substances called growth factor proteins are triggered, promoting healing from the inside out.

"And we pray that you would be energized with all his explosive power from the realm of his magnificent glory, filling you with great hope."
Col 1: 11

This is a time of great pressure, pressure to understand, to persevere, to retain hope in the face of troubles. Jesus said, "if your eye be single, your whole body will be full of light." As we fix our eye upon Jesus, his pure loving power will move within the pressure, filling us even deeper with God's wisdom and strength.

GOD'S PERSONAL ART

     The ray of sunlight sparkling through the trees has traveled 93 million miles straight into the pupil of my eye. A beautiful tableau of clouds and trees and water moves gently, colors and balance shifting in each moment. Grand art crafted for an audience of one, any one who would stop to appreciate the artist and his palette.

Pour into me the brightness of your daybreak!

 Pour into me your rays of revelation-truth!
                   Psalm 43:3

     Our busy and demanding world makes it a challenge to stop for a moment... to look beyond natural beauty and into the heart of the one who creates and moves it for our delight. If we don't clear our minds to appreciate him, life is like walking through the Louvre art museum worrying about our electric bill.

OPEN HEAVEN'S GATES

Many doors and gates are equipped to open in response to a remote control signal.. The remote must send the right frequency to activate and open the door.

"I will praise you with the harp that plays in my heart." Psalm 43:4

The gates of Heaven open wide to us here on Earth when the harp in our hearts plays a grateful song. Psalm 100:4 says we "enter into His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and enter His courts with praise." Fear, envy, unforgiveness are like grimy rags that lay on the strings of our harp, distorting the melody.

MORE FACETS OF GOD

Most of us are aware of the four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. An additional 5th area of taste has been identified, with its own distinct receptors in the tongue and mouth.

The Japanese scientist who isolated this taste named it umami, meaning "essence of deliciousness." It is a meaty or savory taste, adding an extra dimension to enhance other flavors.

"His wonders are so delightfully mysterious that they leave all who seek them astonished."

Psalm 111: 2. (The Passion Translation)

If an area as basic as a type of taste in the mouth has only been recently identified, consider the infinite aspects of God we have yet to know. He is all good, and the more we seek him, the more delights we will discover.

GOD'S ARMOR

Tony was confident as he stood and let the armor wrap around him. Fully protected and fully charged, he knew that the suit empowered him for both defense and attack.

"Put on God's complete set of armor provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser." Ephesians 6:11

By faith we know that we are clothed in God's protection and strength, wrapped into Christ. We are powered by the joy of the Lord, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

THE BRIDGE TO GOD

THE BRIDGE TO GOD

Faith is the only way to cross the chasm to God's wondrous land on the other side. The gap in places may be wide or narrow, and the bridge may be strong or rickety. Whether we stumble across a flimsy bridge or roar across a highway span, the point is to get to the other side - that's it.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would come near to God must believe that he exists..." Hebrews 11:6

Our faith can be tiny, as small as a mustard seed. But if we don't have that speck of belief, even a glimmer of willingness to believe, we cannot cross into God's territory and begin to explore how wonderful he is.

GOD IS GREATER

Solid matter is made up of tightly packed microscopic particles, yet there is still space between them, allowing the particles to constantly vibrate.

"While they were still discussing all of this, Jesus suddenly appeared right in front of their eyes! Startled and terrified, the disciples were convinced that they were seeing a ghost." Luke 24:36

Jesus convinced the disciples that he was not a ghost by letting them see and touch the nail marks in his hands and feet. Being the Creator of all, He actually had greater substance than the solid walls. Just as a hand passes easily through a beaded curtain, God can move through seemingly solid obstacles, making a way for us where there seems to be no way.

GOD'S WAKEUP CALL

It may be wise to have two alarm clocks: the first to wake up out of physical sleep, and then a second one ringing later to remind us to lift up to higher awareness.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on what the flesh desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." Romans 8:5

All of us consist of Body, Mind and Spirit. There is so much attention paid nowadays to cultivating the body and the mind, but very little focus on our spirit, to hear and nurture what God speaks to us.

The Bible says, "Wake up, O sleeper." So often we need to discipline ourselves to remember to wake up to the spirit level that is our eternal connection with God.

THE RADIANCE OF GOD

Glow-in-the-dark objects contain special substances called phosphors. Phosphors give off visible light after being energized. This means they have to soak in the light before they will glow in the dark.

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18

When Moses came down from meeting with the Lord on Mount Sinai, he was not aware that his face was brilliantly radiant. The people were afraid and ask him to wear a veil to cover the glow. Yet he removed the veil whenever he met with the Lord.

When we turn to the Lord, the veil of our worldly concerns is taken away, and we begin to glow from exposure to his love and freedom.