Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s Monday – the day after the Sabbath day – and I remembered to “keep it holy” in every way I could just as I’m Instructed to do. Even though “church time” is behind me now, I’m just getting revved up for the week by spending Time in the Presence of the Author and Perfector of my Faith. After all, church is Designed to Strengthen us, not something we check off a to-do list once a week or something that makes us look (and feel) like “nice people.” So, come Monday morning, it’s time for me to get to Work applying what I’ve learned and to Seek His face even more than I did yesterday. I met with Him outside, where the air was cool and the fog was thick, and I watched the Hand of God at work over this old farm. This time of year, we can expect to see fog as the cool air meets the warm ground, and I never get tired of watching the fog lift off the farm in the Fall. Sometimes it remains low to the ground until it dissipates, and sometimes the fog covers the entire farm from low ground to high ground and beyond. As I sat there drawing near to Him, not only could I see the fog, but I could feel it all around me too, and it reminded me of the Shekinah Glory (the manifested Glory of God) and what it will be like to see one day…and I will. Some people have closed their minds to the fact that God can still manifest today just the way He did in the Bible…but not me. I Believe in the Supernatural work of my Supernatural God. I believe He’s “the same yesterday, today, and forevermore” and that He will NEVER lose His Power! Isn’t that the way you see your Journey of Faith too?

Sometimes I wonder how it came to be that people decided that God belongs in a box. To some, the Bible is just a history book and all the things they read about are just entertaining stories from the past, BUT not for today. If the Glory of God showed up, they’d excuse Him away the same as they do for so many other miraculous things that play out right before their very eyes. Is it that His Supernatural Works scare them because they can’t explain Him, OR is there a conflict between the Supernatural and the intellectual faith that so many hang their hat on today? Either way, some have wiped away all the Supernatural works of God as if He’s a past-tense God, even though the Word says that He’s the “same today, yesterday, and forever more.” It must make our Enemy very happy to see us “muting” the Works of a Mighty and Merciful God. It’s interesting (and sad) that some people have been taught NOT to believe in the Power of God at all, and if that’s the case, they might as well “worship” a statue once a week. My God IS the same today, yesterday, and forever more, and I long to see His Glory…and I will. Don’t you wonder who in the world would want to believe in a powerless God, and why in the world would they want to keep Him in a box?

It’s painful for me to see so many “regular church attendees” walking around IN the fog when I know that all they need is a genuine Relationship with Jesus Christ, more time in His Word, and the Holy Spirit to Guide them. Many of the ones wandering around in the fog hop from church to church because they’re looking for something outward to satisfy the Inward. They laugh at people like me, and they scoff at the Supernatural just the way the Bible says they will… and they settle into teaching that tickles their ears because they hunger to be entertained and to hear (only) what they want to hear. Maybe they have a Bible app on their phone, but it’s rarely opened or read outside of the church. Sometimes they might actually reach for a hard copy of the Bible in the pew ahead, but they can rarely find the verse in time to read along because they aren’t familiar yet. Jesus really does “love the little children of the world,” but He expects them to grow up! In fact, He expects His Children to Learn and Grow every single day. He expects His Children to hunger to be in His Presence every day, all the days of their lives. The Living God expects His Children to be so familiar with Him that they recognize the voice of their Shepherd without hesitation or doubt. He expects His Children to know His Word like the back of their hands, and He expects His Children to obey the “rules”. That’s what growing up (or maturing in Faith) looks like, and it’s the ONLY way to be Confident and Capable when the fog settles in.

It’s foggy in the mornings these days, but that’s okay – I can see the Beauty even with my eyes closed. If my Bible were taken from me today, I’d be VERY sad because I love to spend Time in it with Him every day…But I wouldn’t be lost, and I wouldn’t stumble around in a fog. I’ll always have the Holy Spirit to guide me, and the Holy Spirit will Illuminate the Words when I’m struggling if I ask Him to. My Heart knows what His Word says because I Know Him. I’m a grown-up Christian still in the works, so I Work on getting Stronger and better every day…NOT just on Sundays. I appreciate the fog, but I’ll never be walking in it…church or no church…Bible or no bible…I’ll always have His Spirit and I’ll always have His Word embedded in my Heart. I’ve put in the Time and effort to Mature, and because I “put in time” EVERY day of the week, I believe my Shepherd is pleased with me.,

How about you?