Hornswoggled in His Love! by Ross Shultz - HTML preview

 Authors Note

As each of us travel through this world, that is enmity to God,  the road is sometimes long and many times full of obstacles, but  the length and troubles are of Gods’ design, meticulously  engineered by Him just for us. Man in his natural state, that is his  carnal mind, wants to murmur and whine over every obstruction or  difficultly that is set before him, but in truth, God will never leave  us, nor forsake us, and He will use every evil to build and purify  those that seek His face. “All things work together for good to  those that love the Lord.”

 He that has no enemies or adversaries is often weak, and has  but little opportunity to grow; for many times, it is the obstacle sat  before us that can halt man, and bring him into the realm of  change, that can bring about that growth.

 As we search and research the scriptures. One will find that  every single person or character will evolve thru a catastrophe, or a  series of painful events. I need not go through all of them, but to  name a few might get us into the right way of thinking. Our     culture, especially in the western world, has deepened man into  complacency and self-indulgence of thinking that this soft life is  deserved and earned, when in fact it has been paid for many times  over by many of those that have preceded us. If we are strong,  whether in spirit or soul, it is most likely because of the hardships  endured and then was overcome. Whatsoever comes easy,  probably has but little value, the road well-traveled, probably goes  nowhere. For if it did, (broad is the way), many would have found  our abundant life; but the road filled with obstacles, (narrow is the  way), and its straightforwardness can bring Life to those that can  look beyond the obvious, for but few travel it.

 The love of Jacobs’ life was Rachel, but fourteen years of hard  labor were required by his father-in-law for her. And many times  he was lied too, before the requirements were met, and still these  obstruction did not detour Jacob in any way; not for the love-ofhis- life. This was a representation of a Godly goal that was met,  and we too often struggle through this life, with its trials and  tribulation only to find, to those that seek God, that they too were  especially designed by God just for us; a blessing.

 Jacobs’ son Joseph, the first born from the love of his life was  thrown in a pit, sold as a slave, and spent something like twenty- two year in prison, before becoming Governor, and having the  opportunity of saving his family, including Jacob, his nation and  those that surrounded it. He had to face many oppositions, such  as lies, and even his own ego, before God could use him in a  mighty way.

   Moses was hunted as a murderer and spent forty years in the  wilderness; being prepared by God to remove the accumulated  Egypt from him. These were times of loneliness and troubles, and  though God knew what had to be done, and many trials persisted,  Moses prospered in the Lord in spite of them.

 In the wilderness the Israelites whined and murmured through  just about every situation for forty more years, after their escape  from Pharaoh, and all but three had to die before they could enter  into the Promised Land, (the Kingdom of God). And when the ‘old  man’ had all died out, it was Joshua (the same name as Jesus) that  was to lead them there; Moses, carrying the law, was told to  continue in the wilderness, blessed but not accepted.

 David was anointed King of Israel, but had many battles to fight,  and a preceding king to contend with, and spent many years hiding  in caves with a threat on his life; the oops of the next door  neighbors wife, the death of children, before he was made ready to  accept God totally with the Ark of the Covenant, (by the way, is  you and me).

  Elijah had Jezebel, Sampson had Delilah, The Baptist had  Herod’s step daughter to contend with, Job lost everything and  ended up sitting on a dung hill before being restored back to the  obvious prosperity of God; and even Jesus, after spending forty  days in the wilderness, had many attacks and tribulations to go  through before He was fully engaged in the commission God gave  Him.

If we believe in the ‘pie-in-the-sky’ theory, which I hope we  don’t, then the road to be traveled will come with many obstacles,  for the roads already traveled by many others are cleared of every  piece of debris, and if they could have worked on our behave,  would have; but they don’t. That which we look for in Christ is  free, but the growth sometimes comes with a cost of our ‘old  man’; being either laid down, or purged away by the blessings of  persecutions, etc., therefore leaving us with the comfort of Gods’  strength, knowing that our own attributes can only hinder.

 What some call evil could be a disguised blessing from God,  especially orchestrated just for us. And I’m not sure, but I wonder  if Peters’ life, since he was ordained to be an Apostle, was designed  and premeditated by God, ingenuously put together to bring him  to a point and place to fully understand the Love that God had for  him, and all. For at that period preceding his death, Peter gave up  on the self that he was, to become the completed being of Gods’  creation, personifying Christ and His Love.

 By reading scripture and other historical books of the age, there  is no indication that Peter adhered to the organization or  institutionalization of the Church, or the ‘so called church’ in any  form. There is evidence that he came against that mentality of  ‘higher and lower order’, (as seen in the churches of today), and  the formation of a building dedicated for the purpose of people  coming to worship. “Go ye into the world, preaching the Gospel of  this Kingdom…” But nothing has been said about calling folks to  ‘come’ to the form of man’s ego, and his ability to create God in his     own image. Which is exactly what is happening when we come  together, place a name on our gathering, form committees and  business meetings, allot a certain time and day for so called  worship, send our preacher/pastor to school to learn how, take up  money, and maybe even charter our organization. This is not the  way that the Ekklesia, (Christ’s Church), was to be built, nor does it  resemble the Rock, (the Revelations), on which His indwelling is to  take up residence. The Gospel will be shared throughout the  world, but not by the mass gatherings of what we call ‘church’  today. This is a far cry from that which Christ was building with His  people, fitly joined together, with Him the chief cornerstone,  meeting here or there, mobilizing each other as God gives the  increase. “Where two or three shall gather in my name, there I will  be in the midst of them.”

 To the causal ‘christain’, those that just want appeasement with  their weekly meetings, the same-o, same-o will work for them, but  for those that seek a relationship with God thru the King of Kings,  will have to break away from the nonsense that man has created  to stroke his own ego, for it’s not of Christ. Right now, I believe,  the true Church of our God is still wandering in the wilderness,  waiting for the ‘old man’ to die, be enlightened to lay self aside,  and then walk away, following the only Master that man was  created to obey, Christ Jesus.

 Peter was never made pope; I think it’s just wishful thinking for  some to justify their institutionalization of their control over their  underlings.

   Jesus said; “come to me, you that labor and are heavy laden,  and I will give you rest, for my yoke is easy, and my burdens are  light.” Peter, especially in his beginning days of ministry, did not  fully understand this, but as he grew and waxed strong in the Love  of God, realized that it was Grace, the Mercy of God, and a  relationship with the Father, that God sought for His people; not  the many washings of hands, or outward appearances of worship.  For He is Spirit, and much be worshipped in Spirit.

 As it was with the towns and people in the travels of Peter, so it  is with many of the same of our time. Religion was not designed to  bring any to God, and He knew it. For the timing of Jesus’ arrival to  earth was not happenstance; but He was sent at a crucial time to  save man from himself before total destruction was had. Today, as  it was during the ministry of the early apostles, man continues to  step in with his egotistical formulas of self-reliance and man-made  doctrines. They didn’t work back then, and certainly won’t work  now. It’s time for change, every aspect of our thinking has to  change, which is what the word repentance means, we have to  turn around our way of thinking, putting on the mind of Christ,  turn to God, turn away from our self; and let us develop a  relationship with the Father of creation.

 It is not our own ‘good deeds’ that bring any to the  righteousness of God, but that of receiving His Love, and the  relationship we can have, and He wants, with each. Contrary to  that in which has been taught; God does not place expectations on  any, that’s a carnal man thing, He loves us because he Loves us,  and desires a relationship with all. Not because we’ve acted right,     nor because we’ve earned it; but because we fall under the  category of being created in His similitude, and with no cost but  acceptance; it is offered to all. In fact, even if we don’t accept it, it  is still freely given, for he so loved the world that he gave; and  what was given, was LOVE.

 Can we read this novel, looking at Peter, but really see  ourselves? At least in my walk with God, I have found that each  profound and deep lover of the Lord arose through many obstacles  and tribulations, before finding their revealed life thru a  relationship that God had determined for them and us.

 Hatred, prejudice, resentment, strife, and envy of others’ is not  from God, for these are all from the ill-begotten fruit that man  plucked from the tree of knowledge, of good and evil; and must be  set aside, before all that is from God can fill the heart of man. For  if the vessel is full, how can He fill it more? We must first be  emptied.

 Consider Jesus, he’s already considered you. Thank you

Please, go to my web-site and check out my other books, and  while you’re there, listen to some of the songs written by a very  dear friend of mine. Watch the ‘you-tube’ video, and maybe leave  a comment. www.themanwithin1.com

Other Books by this Author

The Man within

This is an historic autobiography of a knucklehead growing up in  the 50’s and 60’s. The story starts with a devastating disease,  moves into the foolishness of my teenage years, and the  immaturity of being a young adult. Several funny stories, and  some not so funny that led to my growing up into adulthood.

 God has opened my eyes to the illusions of what we call ‘church’  and has uncovered to me a truth regarding the transparency of the  rites and rituals of this ‘thing’.

The Two Trees Within

Man has built an empire unto himself throughout the last  seventeen centuries, and institutionalized, rationalized, justified,  and flaunted on most any and every street corner, in any and every  town or city.

 As the tower of Babel was destroyed by God, so this ‘thing’  called ‘church’ will also fall. The monuments man has built unto  himself, by his own hands, are being exposed; for these too will  have to fall, as God said about the temple; “Not one stone shall be  left upon another.”

 This is an attempt to expose man, his carnal mind, along with  the structures built by his hands; for these also will fall as did the  tower of Babel.

 Please go to You-Tube and watch my short video at ‘The Two  Trees Within’ and see if what’s being said makes sense. These  books can be downloaded for free from my website.

www.themanwithin1.com

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