It's All About Heart 
by Marietjie Chase

King David was about heart. God called him a man after My own heart. He was the best King Israel ever had, aside from Jehovah Himself. In David we see the great commandment fulfilled: Love God and Love your Neighbour like yourselves.

David made mistakes. As king he made mistakes, as husband and father he made mistakes.Yet, looking at the overall picture one can easily conclude that he had heart.

David loved God. As a matter of fact, he was so consumed with his love for God, that his own self; his own importance; faded into the background. It was when Goliath defied the God of Israel when David stepped into battle. He wrote: (Ps 57:7) My heart is steadfast, O God. God was obviously the love of his life. Even when running from His enemy; Saul; and presented with the opportunity to rid himself of this problem, he chose to honor God. David's heart relationship with God produced the fruit of humility without humility ever becoming the issue. He trusted Jehovah and left his life and the kingdom in His hands even to the end.

Secondly, David loved the people. Some of his failings as a father comes clearly out of a heart full of love. In his dealings with Absalom this heart cracks wide open as he weeps: O, Absalom! My son, My son, had it been me who died instead of you. O, that God would give us leaders in the kingdom, the church, the body of Christ with a heart like David's. Those who will mourn for the wayward and weep for those who turn against them.

Out of the heart flows the issues of life, a wise man once said. Through the ages people have only responded, once the heart was touched. No wonder Jesus lumped all the law into this: Love God and Love your Neighbour.

Matt22:36-40, Mark 12 : 29 - 34, Luke 10:26 & 27

The Chases at a Butterfly Consevatorium on 2/19/2007.

Discernment : not optional by Marietjie Chase

There was a time in the mid eighties in South Africa when thousands of people lost millions of rands in a scheme that involved rotting milk. The basic concept was that people bought a culture and recipe from a company, which then bought back the envelopes of dried product. (in essence just dried rotten milk) The story was that they were using the product in the manufacture of cosmetics. When it turned out that it was only an elaborate scam and the so-called product were stinking up warehouses some laughed and some wept.

We are warned by Jesus and almost every book in the New Testament that false teachers, lying spirits and false Jesus's exist. We all think we cannot be deceived and perhaps that is at the root of deception. Our pride and arrogance leads us into deception. "Be careful you that think that you stand..." Humble yourself. God won't do this for you.

Another root issue is ignorance. Immaturity is only cute in babies because of their innocence. Immature adults are disgusting. Ignorance is also not a mark of some super spirituality. Desire the unpolluted word of God like newborns desire milk, so that you can grow by it.

What is this thing that the study of the Bible is no longer being esteemed as necessary? Do we really think that all our subjective experiences can replace scripture? This smells like rotten milk to me.

Understanding or hearing something does not equal obedience. Just because we understand that we are to obey the speed limit does not mean that we are doing it. We can only mature spiritually by obedience. You will stay an eternal infant in the Body and Kingdom of Jesus Christ unless you study the Bible and obey it.

There are no shortcuts. There are no quick fixes. You cannot escape the disciplines of Christianity. If you do, you will end up with something other than the real thing.

The mature are those who have their spiritual senses exercised, trial and error, to discern both good and evil. Let's not make the mistake to embrace every soft woolly thing we encounter. We may be hugging a wolf.

Focus on the pursuit of God. Read and study the Bible. Pray. Listen to more mature believers and go and assemble with the church - not to 'set them straight' but to learn.

Don't be foolish beloved. We have a real enemy that really truly hates us. We cannot afford to be undiscerning.

Spiritual Childhood. by Marietjie Chase March 10, 2007

One of my high school Teachers, Mr Bothma, gave me some of life's best advice: Live every stage of your life to the fullest. If you don't, you will always revert back to it.

We have celebrated children as a gift from God, as can be attested by the fact that we have 5 children and helped to raise five more. One of the speeches my children would tell you their Mom gives a lot is: Enjoy being a child. It does not last. You will be an adult forever. Once you grow up there is no going back to being a child.

A while ago I had a dream of a man with greying hair surrounded by children. He was somehow causing the hair of the children to turn grey in streaks. In the dream I felt like this was just wrong and pled the blood of Jesus. As I did this, the man faded and disappeared and the grey streaks in the children's hair disappeared as well. This was only part of the dream and I wrote it down and moved on. While praying last night, the Spirit of the Lord started giving me insight into some stuff.

Children, spiritual children, are not living as children. Their childhood is robbed by some entity that causes them to grow old before their time. We have a plague of immaturity in the Body of Christ because of this. Since they never were aloud to be "just kids", they are constantly acting childish. (For those who do not know what I'm talking about: bickering, clique-ing, getting offended about nothing, ignorant arrogance, lack of commitment and responsibility....etc. )

What does it mean to be "just kids"? In the natural it means that there is a parent involved. I firmly believe in: Children left to themselves bring shame to their mother. Being a parent means to love, guide, provide, supervise, be responsible for, protect and discipline. And I'm sure the list goes on. It is a nurturing relationship. One where the parent understands that there is a responsibility before God to do right by the child. Sadly, most people do not even have a positive parenting experience in the natural, so how would they understand or care for a 'spiritual" parenting experience. Read Ezekiel 34, John 10, Heb 13:20, I Peter 2:25 and I Peter 5:1-5

Paul wrote that when I was a child I spake as a child, understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things. He also said that we should as new born babes, desire the milk of the word. One of the saddest things of our society is , children having children. That ought not to be so. Spiritual children ought to be in a relationship,(fellowship, oikos, konania, covenant) where they are aloud to be zealous without knowledge-with supervision, ask and receive help, being carried in prayer and fed a balanced diet. They are to learn the spiritual disciplines so that they may mature into true sons(generic) of God who knows how to rightly divide the word. They need to learn, in this environment of love and acceptance; to discern - since it comes by experience.

This explains why there are so many people running around in the Church at large, with "Ministries" yet without effect. There is a lot of "growing up" to be done. Our "worship" of individualism and prosperity in our society afford us the "right" to never grow up, like Peter Pan.

Incidentally: the second part of the dream was of a small airport, where there was a small airplane with no wings, taxy-ing around the other planes. When I pled the blood of Jesus this little wingless plane faded and disappeared.

While praying about this, the Lord guided me to pray that these little wingless planes would be rooted out and the seed destroyed. The direction for prayer about the man was that it, the entity, be exposed. As soon as the children see that it is gone, they will go on to be "just kids".

A Complete Redemption

Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

There is a fourfold suffering in this verse for a fourfold result. Jesus did not leave some of redemption undone. There is no longer any other sacrifice needed. He did it all. The redemption is complete.

1. Transgressions are acts of rebellion and apostasy. It is the willful deviation from the path of righteousness, pre-meditatively crossing the line. It is the times when knowing right we do wrong. He was profaned and defiled. He was violated, subjecting Himself to violence, for the redemption of those who live by violence. He was desecrated for the filth and defilement of the lowest of humankind. He bore the penalty. There is no sin; how violent, putrid or gross, that He did not pay for this.

2.But He was also crushed. He was humbled and humiliated, afflicted. oppressed and broken in pieces just as we humans are. I often wondered at the mockery of the soldiers... It was for our iniquities, our depravity, for the perverseness of our crookedness on the inside. It was for our sinful twistedness, our misery, our faults. He paid the price. He was crushed, mocked, humiliated so that we can say "no" to shame and guilt. Jesus took that shame and guilt so that you can be free.

3. He was punished, chastised and bound. Disciplined... and in it all, did not break out but obeyed even unto death. Jesus submitted Himself to the will of God and obeyed. His obedience bought our peace. So much more than absence of strife. It is well being, wholeness, friendship; to live in security, tranquility and welfare. It means to be successful and blessed.

4. He was beaten, bruised, black-and-blued and hurt with so many stripes - without number-, for our healing and wholeness. He endured the Roman 'cat' for our healing. Now this healing is not only a privilege, a gift but also a responsibility. He suffered so that we may be healed. What does it say of our value of this suffering if we refuse this healing.

It is clear that Jesus Christ paid the complete price for a complete salvation: body, soul and spirit. There is no part of the human experience that is not covered. We have a responsibility to walk in this complete redemption. Be the best you can be. Do the best you can do. Find the will of God and obey it.

Every question humanity has, has been answered in Jesus Christ.

This is my body and my blood...

I have been looking at the bread and the wine for a few weeks now. Daily there is some new insights.

The bread in I Cor 11 has also something to do with I Cor 10, Math 18 and Matt 5. I 've come to realize that the blood is our vertical relationship with God and all we are in Him and through Him and few has a problem with this.

The bread signifies our relationship with one another.

John 6. Jesus spoke of himself as bread from heaven that came down for us. He also said in John 12? that the grain of wheat have to fall in the ground and die... or be alone. Alone one grain of wheat means little. Together, crushed and made into a loaf of bread, we have significance. The sum of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We cannot be the Body or Temple of God all by our lonesome. We need to become part of the greater Body of Christ to be this.

The bread part of communion, the eucharist, is where we slip up. Reading through 1 Cor 11 we can see that it is the "one another" part of it that Paul was most concerned about. The new covenant is a huge part, but without the "Body" part we are being deceived.

I looked up the portions of Ephesians that dealt with our behavior as relating to one another. It was about 50% of that letter. There were also 5 very important "one another" 's in there.

We can no longer relate to God as hermits, islands and logs pulled out of the fire. It is time to recognise the importance of "one another"

For those who'd like to study this:

Concider, Gideon's loaf, threshing floors, bread and body.
and
covenants, blood, sacrifices, testament and new wine.

KNOWING GOD ...

In my study of David I came across the portion where David wants to return the ark of covenant to Jerusalem by using the Philistines(flesh) method. The dire consequences off course is that Uzza lost his life, David got scared and send the ark to Obed-Edom's for a period of three months during which God/Jehovah just bless this home.

David as king of Israel were required by the law to hand write himself a copy of the law, the first 5 books of our Bible. It included Leviticus and Numbers where Jehovah gave clear instruction about the care and transport of the ark of covenant. Let me just insert here- He cares a great deal about the details if it is His details. This piece of holy furniture represented the presence of God.

Did David forget about this ordinances or did he think that his familiarity with God excluded him from it. What was he thinking? He must have either forgot the law or disregarded it. Why else would he follow the Philistines (flesh) in handling the presense of God?

Did David know God or did he know Him by His actions? Knowing God by His actions leave a lot to guess work and subjective surmising. How do we get to know God? Can we know Him by His actions alone ? That would not be possible because our minute understanding of this vast, gigantic God is so pea-brain limited. God cannot be fully known by our experience of Him alone.

We have to study the word. Paul said to Timothy: Study to show yourself approved... There is some alone time in study and Berean time in group study neccesary to know God. He has ordained it that we, together with other believers, should know Him. Know God. Knowing just His actions is open to unbelievers, heathen and atheists as well. Know God by what He declares Himself to be, then measure your experience by that.

David later corrected this error and maybe that is part of what made him such a great King; his willingness to be corrected.

For further study try J.I.Packer - Knowing God or J.B. Philips - Your God is too Small.

Honor God...

As I read through I Samuel 24 [ It's the story where David, hiding in the back of a cave, has the opportunity to kill Saul but instead; cut Sauls mantle and repents afterward.] I noticed that the reason David could not kill Saul and repented for cutting his clothing had nothing to do with Saul or even the explosive relationship between David and Saul. Instead, David is lead by his relationship with God, Jehovah.

"I cannot touch the anointed of Jehovah", he said.

Have you ever experienced someone who has become your enemy by no fault of yours, yet is a bother or sister? Or even someone who's personallity grades on you like sandpaper, yet is obviously called and anointed of God? What do we do in these situations? The most popular solution the church in the West had till now, is to avoid such a person and move on. This must be one of the causes of the epidemic of church hopping in America. Being in the Kingdom of God; it is required that we deal with this. Our own rigidity and heartness of heart require that we be right but if we want to see the purposes of the Kingdom of God advange we need to take another look.

What did David do? He honored what was of God in the person. If all you can do is to love, respect and honor what you see is of God, then do that. I may think the person is a horses patutti but because he happens to be the President of the United States of America, I pay him due respect. It should not be that far fetched to respect and love someone who is part of the Kingdom of God because I love and honor and pursue God.

We used to sing a song in the early seventies: " I love you with the love of the Lord..., for see in you the Glory of the Lord.."

May we follow in King David's example and fear to disrespect God's anointed just because we are in relationship with such an awesome wonderful Father.

Isn't God just deeeeliscious.

What happened in Africa?
Many have asked: What happened...? From what Steve said this is what happened:
There was a conference scheduled in Tanzania during the first week of the trip(Oct 1-5). Literally 1000's of believers came. Some at great sacrifice to themselves. The area was near the Livingston-Stanley monument, near lake Tangenika close to the border of Burundi. There was some incredible breakthroughs in that area against the religious spirit. Islam is very active and agressive there.
Travel in this part of Tanzania is restricted to daylight only and some parts even then, under police escort. The team, consisting of Margaret(USA), Steve(USA), Joseck(Nairobi Kenya) and Job(Nairobi Kenya) with their driver a born again brother from Nairobi named George, left early to try and make it back to Nairobi by Sunday, two days later.
At about 9:30 am(2:30 am USA eastern standard) they hit a spot in the road, more like a dirt path, with some loose gravel. The vehicle, a brand new four wheel drive van, went out of control and hit a dirt pile next to the road. It flipped tails over head, three times and then came to a stop on it's wheels.
Steve, Joseck, Job and George were in their seats, but Margaret was out of the vehicle. Job found Margaret who was knocked unconscious, her face, mouth and nose full of dirt and blood. They cleaned her face during witch she came to; screaming from the pain. They rebuked the spirit of death over her and later over Joseck as well. He took a heavy blow to the head and chest. Steve broke his collar bone and cruched a vertebrae which made him feel like he had a spinal block.
The locals started coming out of the bushes. Joseck, knowing the possibility of being robbed and assaulted, hollered in Swahili: We are preachers! Please, help us. Someone with a cell phone made a call and shortly after a UN vehicle, there because of the Burundi refugee's, came and picked all of them and their luggage up and took them to a refugee camp nearby where there was a first aid station/clinic.
Ann, an American social worker from Chicago who works with the UN, came and called the embassy who put them in contact with Pat Patton's "Flying Medical Service" who flew them to Nairobi. They were taken to Nairobi Hospital.
The outpour of love, prayer and support of the body of Christ were amazing during all this. In Kenya, our friends Jesse and Diane Grey came down from Eldorett, a 5 hour drive, to be there for them in the hospital. Diane stayed untill Margaret's daughter arrived. Steve and Helen was housed by Angel, a born again travel agent in Nairobi, after his release from the hospital.
We are still counting all the blessings that came out of this.
Miss. Margaret is still in the Hospital in DeSoto, Mississippi. She might be operated on again. But even in this we know that God will work it out for good.

Communication... Can we Hear and understand?!?

During the recent accident in Kenya we had an interesting experience in communication. Most Kenyans have Cell phones, but those are at best a racket. The service is patchy, connections poor and with a few seconds of delays. Then there is also an accent problem and although we are both speaking English, it was obviously not the same English. Beside all this seemingly obvious problems there were also the information handed down from person to person with each adding his or her own flavor to it, that changed the original message. Getting any information to start with was hard enough and then wading through all this left you with sketchy information at best.

Looking back over this experience as a whole, I realize that we are like that in our spiritual lives as well. Not to many of us want to even engage in the process to hear from God. The distractions, bad connections and over all information system is not up to what it should be. Mostly simply because we did not take the time, resources and energy to establish a good communication system to begin with. Anyone that reckon that we can just toodle about, slap happy with no spiritual discipline and have a clear ear to hear God, obviously do not have a clue.

Then, if we even hear what is said, we do not always understand what He is saying. We do not want to go back and make sure that we understood what He meant by what He said. We run with half truths and misinformation and have to continuously adjust since we did not understood to begin with. This makes us seem wishy washy and flaky.

Then we hear information from God that is handed down from broken human to broken human, each coloring his or her own flavor into it, so that by the tail end of it, it does not even resemble the original message.
No wonder we have two hundred and eleven different doctrines around the same issue floating around in the church.

And since I am by nature a problem solver, how do we fix this? First lets work on the desire to hear Him. Having divine feedback is probably one of the most amazing wonderful things in the world. To those who do not believe that God still speaks to His people I'll be so bold as to suggest that they stop wasting their time pretending to be Christians. Without a living, communicating involved God there is no Christian.

Second; Lets work on the communication channels. Time spend in God's presence, getting to know Him and not just by petitions or in public. Every one who wants to Hear Him ought to have a private, intimate time with God. This is a discipline. Each also ought to know the scriptures, a working knowledge. We also need to experience prayers and answers to prayer, which cannot happen if you never bother to pray.

Third: Take the time, invest in it to really understand what is being said. Don't go of cocky and half-cocked. Listen and hear and learn to discern. Go back and ask again. Slow down. Take time to understand the orders before you march out.

Last: Go to the source. When another person, how well recommended or respected tell you something, check it with the source. See what the Bible says. Pray over it and see if the information is correct.

Let's end this sad frustrating communication breakdown.