I am grateful that Your creation reflects Your loving care for us all to see!
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
Revelation 12:10
Me: Good morning, Father!
Abba: Good morning, Jon!
Me: This is a marvelous verse, Father! Can You please tell me something about its temporal language? It uses words like “have come”, “has been”, “now”, and “accused”.
Abba: I Am glad to point out that “has been” is applicable to the accuser.
Many have speculated as to when this “now” is referring. In Job 1:6 and 2:1-2, Satan’s access to heaven is mentioned. He accuses both Job and I that Job only honors Me because of the blessings I bestowed on him.
Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 2:10) Though the English translation of this verse seems a strong past-tense rendition, this is not so in the original. Rather, it emphasizes that it was an event, something that happened at a particular point in time.
Consider how Revelation 12:10 links a moment (now) with salvation and the power of the Christ, with Satan’s casting down. In Revelation 12:7, leading up to verse 10, “war in heaven” is the setting. Verse eleven in Revelation 12 says this:
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
So, this victory, in which you stand, was won by Jesus at the cross. And the victory enfolds all who put their trust in Him. The Accuser, then, has no more standing to accuse those who have repented of their lives of sin and put their faith in the work of the sinless Son.
For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:2, Isaiah 49:8
While a person has breath, there is a moment – now – when it is possible to enter in to the salvation provided. None knows whether another moment is coming.
Me: Hallelujah! Thank You Father! I love You! Thank you! Thank you!
I am Grateful for your provision and faultless faithfulness!
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:
Isaiah 26:1-4
Me: Good afternoon, Father!
Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!
Me: Father, you suggested the verse, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You”, as I was asking what you wanted me to meditate upon today. I love the promise of “perfect peace” in Isaiah 24, if we keep focusing on You. No, more than focusing. It says trusting, too. And not just temporarily, either! When I looked at the context of that promise, I saw that it was to Judah and was a picture of salvation to come. It even mentions that salvation is appointed by You and that it stands as a bulwark, as protection against the enemy. Isaiah said, “Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter”. But that made me think of what Jesus said to the rich young ruler:
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luke 18:18-19, Mark 10:17-18
Say again how is it that Judah, and those who are being saved become known as a “righteous nation” and as keepers of the truth? When Jesus walked physically in Judea, He declared, “I Am the Truth”. Yet the so-called spiritual leadership of the nation goaded the people to cry aloud, “Crucify him!” before the Roman Judgement Seat, where they accused Him of heresy and sedition. (John 18:28 – 19:16)
Abba: Jesus did not grant the religious order or the Roman government power over the message He came to deliver (John 19:11). As you see, the leaders were corrupt, serving their own interests, and the people were cowed into taking direction from them. The religious leaders had the power to put anyone out of the synagogue, which was the center of the community. The Romans exercised the power of capital punishment in such a way as to induce the most fear. Look at what this passage in Romans says of Abraham’s faith:
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Romans 4:3-5
This passage speaks of the belief My friend Abraham had in Me and of grace that Jesus has bestowed by His sacrifice of bearing your unrighteousness, again, to those who believe.
Exchange (by faith): His righteousness for your ungodliness.
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 2:16
Twice in the above verse, Paul speaks of the faith of Jesus and once of faith in Jesus. Faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8, James 1:17), if you but agree to receive it.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
James 1:5-8
James speaks of problem of being double minded, as it relates to faith for receiving wisdom if one asks. This issue of double mindedness, though, applies to faith for anything you are doing according to My direction. I just said that you have to agree to receive the gift of faith. That plays out in steadfast trust in what I Am saying to you. It is the enemy of your souls who will plant doubt about what I Am saying. Go back and look at his exchange with Eve (Genesis 3:1-6). What did he do? He got her to doubt that she had understood what I said, even that I had her best interests at heart and was being deceptive. Talk about narcissistic projection! Mind games are his specialty.
18 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 (Romans 1:16)
Me: Thank You Father! I love You! Thank You for the awesome gifts You give! Thank You for linking all these scriptures together by Your Spirit. It seems the Gospel in a nutshell!
My Dad’s older brother John Bennett Stanford was killed in action at Saint Lo France on the 14th of July of 1944 as US troops were fighting to wrest the area back from German control. My grandmother never talked to me about his loss, and my Dad’s mention of it only told me where he was. The graphic above lists the WWII war dead for Lubbock County Texas, for the Army only. The list contains 171 names, with my uncle listed in the second set of the last column. My uncle was far from alone in his sacrifice. There are similar lists for the other branches of the military in the national archives, but I can’t comment on those since I haven’t investigated them. In 1940, the census count for Lubbock County Texas was just over fifty-one thousand.
The Germans were heavily fortified at St. Lo and the fighting was grueling in the period in July known as the Battle of the Hedgerows. There was a subsequent period called Operation Cobra in which many perished from friendly fire, discussed in the linked article.
Well-researched article on the battle for Hill 192 which includes my uncle’s regiment. They had failed to take the hill in mid-June with heavy casualties but succeeded July 10th-12th. The date on the John Bennett Stanford’s tombstone is July 14th. If accurate, that would indicate he may have been killed in the fighting to take Saint Lo itself.
It is fitting that we should remember these fallen and that we should resist the current efforts to destroy the liberty they died defending.
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
2 Timothy 1:13-14
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Galatians 5:5-6
I am grateful for the loving work of the indwelling Spirit in enabling faith and hope by faith!
Me: Good morning, Jesus!
Jesus: Good morning, Jon!
Me: Thank You for this good word of Paul to Timothy as a reminder that the Holy Spirit is keeping the truth in us and enabling us to hold on when the whole world is overrun by error and even outright lies spoken from places of human “authority”.
Jesus: Here is another passage that pertains to the battle My followers are engaged in:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
War after the flesh is marked by fear and death and malice. War in the Spirit is characterized by the power of speaking the truth in love. Vanities do need to be destroyed, but the aim is reconciliation.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:8
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:14-16
The first thing is aligning (bounding, constraining) your own thoughts to My thoughts. This is My example:
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
John 5:19
I have seen to it that you have the written word.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Timothy 3:16
I have set the Holy Spirit, the very power of God, to be in you and to help you.
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you.
John 16:12-14
The battle is first personal. The world will not be helped by “followers” who are off the path. Do not be misled. You are called to speak the Truth. Remember that I Am the Truth.
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Romans 12:3
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
John 7:2-5
Me: Thank You Jesus! I thank you for all these aspects of Your help! I love You!
Jesus: You are welcome! I love you! I remind you of your commission. Do not become so introspective that you neglect others.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Amen.
My Dad’s older brother John Bennett Stanford was killed in action at Saint Lo France on the 14th of July of 1944 as US troops were fighting to wrest the area back from German control. My grandmother never talked to me about his loss, and my Dad’s mention of it only told me where he was. The graphic above lists the WWII war dead for Lubbock County Texas, for the Army only. The list contains 171 names, with my uncle listed in the second set of the last column. My uncle was far from alone in his sacrifice. There are similar lists for the other branches of the military in the national archives, but I can’t comment on those since I haven’t investigated them. In 1940, the census count for Lubbock County Texas was just over fifty-one thousand.
The Germans were heavily fortified at St. Lo and the fighting was grueling in the period in July known as the Battle of the Hedgerows. There was a subsequent period called Operation Cobra in which many perished from friendly fire, discussed in the linked article.
Well-researched article on the battle for Hill 192 which includes my uncle’s regiment. They had failed to take the hill in mid-June with heavy casualties but succeeded July 10th-12th. The date on the John Bennett Stanford’s tombstone is July 14th. If accurate, that would indicate he may have been killed in the fighting to take Saint Lo itself.
It is fitting that we should remember these fallen and that we should resist the current efforts to destroy the liberty they died defending.
Shot of the pear (nearest) and the two apple trees. The center one is a Honey Crisp, and the far one is a Granny Smiths. Late afternoon, looking west.
Honey Crisp Blossoms
It is still early in May. If we don’t have frost from here on, we will probably have a good apple crop this year. The pear was blooming last week and those have dropped off the tree already. I say dropped, which kind of ignores the help they received from high wind.
Missionary Sojourn 
