The Lamb's Way

The Lamb’s Way, February 23, 2012 * EXHALE IN ORDER TO INHALE

Rick Farlee — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:50:02 +0000

HEBREWS 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many….

Why is it that so many people cannot understand this? Too many non-believers, God’s plan for salvation is just too “simple”. That’s why the whole business of “works” has got everything so scrambled up. In the carnal mind the message of grace, is too simplistic… it is beyond reason. (Even many in the Church fail to understand the message of Grace…) Sometimes the Word just doesn’t make sense. You have to die to live?… Give to receive?… Forgive to be forgiven? It doesn’t “feel” like we are wired that way… and we’re not. We were not made to have sin in our life. The original “pattern” was made sin free. That’s why Christ had to come as a sacrifice to take away what we were not supposed to have… (our sin), once and forever. It’s a done-deal. Everyone who asks receives……everyone.

Salvation is too complicated? …Really? To put it into perspective, it’s like having to exhale in order to inhale. Want the Breath of God in your life? Exhale first. Exhale your sin and Inhale Christ… Imagine being under-water and knowing that you must swim to the top and break the surface to get to the air needed to survive. His is the breath you need. Salvation is for everyone! We all need a Savior. Jesus Christ is our only option.

Blessings,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 22, 2012 * A DOUBLE PORTION?

Rick Farlee — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:42:05 +0000

Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power…

Elijah had the anointing of God upon his life… When a chariot of fire descending in the sky, he was caught up in a whirlwind and taken away. His mantle was passed down to Elisha, his servant, as he watched Elijah ascended in into the heavens in the whirlwind… (2 Kings 2:11-13) And Elisha received a “double portion” of the anointing that Elijah had. (2 Kings 2:9)

Today people think, even as Christians, that they can get a “double portion” of God’s anointing as well… I used to believe that too, but that’s just not true. The Word says that we have the fullness of the Godhead dwelling within us… (Colossians 2:9) When you’re “full-up”, then a “double portion” is not possible. Elijah and Elisha did not have “the fullness of the Godhead” in them, because it was before Christ’s ministry. For them, all that they could receive was a partial anointing… a partial blessing. Therefore, a “double portion” was possible for Elisha. That’s not the case today… With Christ we are filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:4) and we have ALL spiritual blessings (Ephesians 3:1). Since Christ (who has all power in heaven and earth Matthew 28:18) lives in us and through us, the potential to do so much more is limitless…

Elisha performed twice the number of miracles as Elijah… And those miracles astounded Israel. …Now, just think, they only had a partial anointing, whereas Spirit filled Christians have no limits on their lives… Can you even imagine the potential that lies dormant within us? For the Spirit filled Christian, all things are possible to them that believe. (Mark 10:27) That’s why Jesus said that if we ask anything in His name, He will do it. (John 14:14) We only need to believe. (Mark 9:23)

There’s no such thing as a “double portion” anointing for Christians, because when you became a Believer, you received the full portion… Christ in you is all the you will ever need. Mix your faith with His presence and nothing shall be impossible for you.

Selah,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 21, 2012 * WHITE WASHED TOMBS…

Rick Farlee — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:45:48 +0000

Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Chapter 23 of Matthew is a tough chapter. No one can say that Jesus was a “lightweight” here. This is the chapter where He lays it out to the leadership of that nation. Many movies depict Jesus as a rather timid fellow. Meek does not mean weak. Jesus was one tough guy. One thing that He could not tolerate was self-righteousness. Pharisees and Sadducee’s just irritated Him. He gives them a “Woe unto you” message 8 times in this chapter alone… Paul has something similar to say to that “establishment” in the 23rd chapter of Acts (23:3). He refers to them as “Whitewashed walls”. So, the question is: what exactly is meant by this term “whitewashed walls” and “white washed tombs”? In those days, the Jews would whitewash the tombs or graves every year, so that people would not accidently touch them and thereby be defiled. It was a totally legalistic way of imposing man-made laws on Gods people. Religion does that. Many denominations today are equally as full of “dead mens bones” as when Jesus walked this earth.

So, what does this say to us in the 21st century? Religion today has similar issues. C.S. Lewis addresses the clergy like this: “those ‘sensible’ synthetic religions which are so strongly recommended today and which, then as now, included among their devotees many highly cultivated clergymen…” Lewis is talking about people who have a lot of head knowledge, but no heart relationship. Unfortunately, that constitutes a very large portion of the Christian establishment… Self-righteous deadmens bones fill many “established” church buildings in America today…

When Christ spoke of the Great Commission, there was no talk of doctrine, theology, religion, 11 steps to a prosperous life before ascending to heaven in 2011…. That’s what the people loved about Jesus. He wasn’t phony, He hid nothing, He shared Himself and had compassion. He said that we need to come to Him and receive rest and peace…. then turn around and spread the Good News to all the world. Jesus takes the common and makes it spectacular, the ordinary and makes it extra-ordinary the plain and makes it beautiful.

Men and scholars tend to just complicate things. We need to get back to the basics that our faith was founded upon. Have you ever noticed that Children are not afraid of God? They love Him. Perhaps that’s why we are instructed to come to Him as little children. That’s a more accurate illustration of who He intends for us to be… His kids…..

Blessings,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 20, 2012 * EGGPLANT

Rick Farlee — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:33:32 +0000

JOB 38:1-4 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. 4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

I enjoy almost all vegetables… some more than others. It’s amazing how God has supplied us with so many good things to eat. If the Four Gospels are the “meat” of the Bible, then all of the other 62 books must be the “vegetable” assortment… Romans, for me, would be “potatoes”… and Chapter 10 is the french fries. (Don’t “fries” go with everything?) Deuteronomy is probably “Brussel sprouts”… Leviticus must be “asparagus”. ”Tomatoes” and James goes together, …and finally, JOB must be “eggplant” (my least favorite of all vegetables.) I can eat eggplant, but why go there when we have so many more appetizing veggies on the menu?

I understand that JOB is considered “wisdom literature” of the Old Testament, but it’s so …depressing. For me, it’s even a step below Lamentations (“Lima Beans”). People like to chew on JOB and it often causes indigestion and confusion. They think that Satan and God are in cahoots to punish and test man… It gives God a bad reputation because they think that He “allows” Satan to torment us. (John 10:10).

I was speaking to a minister friend of mine a few weeks ago and he said that God “allows” bad things and sickness to happen to people as a way of testing them, and then when they are healed, it brings Him glory. (Let me tell you, that’s stinkin’ thinkin’!) Unfortunately, much of that sort of theology is served up from the pulpit… How can a God who is “love” (1 John 4:8) do such things to His children? The “chastening rod” that is spoken of in the Bible is for correcting us when we go astray or stumble. Why would God set us up in order to “punish” us? That would be out of character for a God who loves us… Ya would think that God only serves up raw “onions” in order to make us cry… “Boo-hoo… God Loves me! …sob!” That’s the impression that so many people get from the book of JOB, …and it’s not so appetizing, is it? “Eggplant” in its glory… A beautiful book (JOB) that just takes a very skilled chef to prepare it for us to consume. JOB is designed to show the majesty, authority and glory of God. We should read it with that understanding…

Selah,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 19, 2012 * LADDER TO ETERNITY

Rick Farlee — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:09:35 +0000

JOHN 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Have you ever stood at the bottom of a set of steps only to look up and think “its really a long way up there.” I have thought of “Jacob’s Ladder”, and how it must have appeared from the bottom rung and looking up all of those steps as the ladder ascended through the clouds and into the heavens.

I remember, as a young boy, some of those first days of going to school. I started out in 1st grade, skipping kindergarten because of the date of my birthday? The school was big, in fact it seemed huge……it looked like miles of hallways. Kids were everywhere, and everyone, except me, seemed to know where they were going… Only being there for a few days, after school, somehow I must have missed the school bus. We were supposed to go to the front of the building at the end of the day to get picked-up, or get on a bus. Anyway, I must have taken a wrong turn in one of those corridors and was wandering around, nervous, because the only thing that I had on my mind was wanting to go home…(and never come back). Now there were virtually no kids anywhere, they were all gone? I was looking into different classrooms, hoping to find someone, and walked into one room (I think it must have been a 4th grade class?), and all that I saw were big desks, big chairs, and there was “writing” (not printing) on the chalkboards. The bulletin boards were filled with all kinds of colorful teacher stuff…. I remember that it looked so far beyond anything that I was ever going to do, it made me want to cry. This thought came into my mind: “I have to go to school for 12 years, and I’m only in the 1st grade…I’m only 5…” It looked impossible to me…… it looked like eternity, …it seemed like I was standing at the bottom of a set of stairs that went up into the sky, into the clouds… The end was out of sight, beyond my comprehension. Today we might say that it looked like a “mission impossible”. How was I ever going to make it?….and where was my Mommy? I needed someone to help me.

Have you ever been there? Had cancer? Had a heart condition? Had depression? Had a bad marriage? addiction? broken heart? lost a child? been in jail? abused? job failure? broke? busted and disgusted?…. Hurting people are everywhere. Do you think the devil doesn’t want to destroy us? …kill us? …break us? He hates God so much that Satan will do anything to get back at Him. It looks like a long way up when you’re on the bottom, flat on your back. How many stairs does it take to get out of this mess? …Just One step.

Well, there’s only One way, and that is with the help of Jesus. One step at a time. And the good thing is that He will carry you when you think that you cannot possibly go any further. Those who have accepted Him have already started on their journey, and we are all at different levels on the ladder to eternity. Turn around and look at where you were just last year….5 years ago…. since you were saved. You’re not “there” yet, but at least you have left, you’re on the way. Your destiny draws closer everyday. It’s one step away… Choose Jesus.

Selah,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 18, 2012 * GOD CANNOT LIE

Rick Farlee — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:11:17 +0000

Hebrews 6:18-19 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…

God is not a liar. The Bible says that it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18), therefore if God cannot lie, the only alternative is this: HE MUST TELL THE TRUTH… So, if God says that I am healed (1 Peter 2:24), I must be healed already. If He says that He shall supply all of my needs through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19), then all of my needs must be met…

Those are very comforting thoughts… “So, how come we just don’t see those things happening automatically?” …That’s a very valid question.

Don’t misunderstand me. We get attacked with sickness just like everybody else… And, sometimes we have to use natural means to deal with the symptoms. (Symptoms, being the result of the problem.) Pain, for example, is a “symptom” of the cause… You get rid of the pain when you get rid of the “cause”. The key is not allowing the “cause” to remain in your life… Who is the author of all sickness and suffering? Satan. (Mark 3:15)

You can take an aspirin, for example, to ease the pain of a headache. An aspirin will temporarily ease the awareness of pain in your head, but the “cause” of the pain will remain… So, you can continue taking aspirin and deal with it, or your can address the “cause” of the problem and be done with it… You need God to address the root cause of your health issues, because until God deals with the “cause”, the effects (pain) will remain and potentially grow worse.

Sometimes, under certain conditions, you may even need something to ease the pain in your body, or else you cannot keep your mind straight. …Pain can be so severe that it hinders your ability to pray and focus on God. …So, sometimes we may need some “natural” help. While aspirin, for example, cannot cure anything, it will sometimes ease the pain enough to where you can draw on the power of God.

We need God to heal us… In fact, the Bible tells us that it’s already done. (1 Peter 2:24). We receive that healing by mixing it with our faith. He cannot lie, so we can absolutely trust Him. If He says it, we can believe it. We had better learn how to believe God… Whatever He tells you to do, just do it with all of your heart and make plans for big results. Your faith is what determines the manifestation of God’s supply.

Blessings,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 17, 2012 * sWORD OF THE SPIRIT

Rick Farlee — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:02:48 +0000

Ephesians 6: 16-18 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…….

There’s probably a gazillion sermons on this passage of scripture in Ephesians regarding ”the armor of God”. You could possibly read for days and still not exhaust the commentaries. However, there is only one section that I want to draw out of this, and it has to do with the “sword of the Spirit“… The written language has always interested me, kind of like some people are intrigued by numbers… Jesus is known in the New Testament as the Word of God. (John 1:14) The Word is all powerful, creator of all things, and all things hold together through Him. The book of John (1: 1-3) explains this. ”In the beginning was the Word…”

If we add the letter “s” to the Word, the result is “sWord”, and it is the powerful description of that offensive weapon Paul was describing in the armory of God. We don’t pronounce the last four letters of ”sword” as we would “word”, or else it would sound kinda sWeird…

Paul is saying that we are to take the Word (sword) and pray always in the “spirit” to have the most lethal impact on the enemy. It is our only offensive weapon, and it is designed to slay the enemy. Pray believing that wherever that sword is drawn, the enemy will retreat. The adversary is relentless, and will hammer against our “shield of faith” until we charge him. This is one time your Momma would say that it is okay to be “offensive”…….

Blessings,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 16, 2012 * POWER GRID

Rick Farlee — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:40:57 +0000

LUKE 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

These words of Jesus Christ reveal to us that we are empowered of the Lord to follow in His footsteps and to model our lives after His example… We are empowered, through faith in Christ, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and to preach the Good News…

We must understand that there will be opposition from the enemy as we go forth in the Name of Jesus and proceed with the command of Christ to work the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:19-20) Satan will attempt to block us at every turn. …But we have the Word of God (the Sword of the Spirit) and the blood of Jesus to empower us to go into the world… We can have confidence that “nothing shall by any means hurt you…” (Luke 10:19) …And we have the promise of Christ in Ephesians 6:16 that tells us to lift up the shield of faith that will quench all the fiery darts of the enemy. All means that through faith we can resist every attempt of the devil to overpower us. …That’s because the enemy’s power source is fear based… If fear is not present, the devil is basically powerless…

2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Obviously, fear is a spirit, an evil spirit, which is powerless in the presence of (God’s) Spirit filled children… That’s why no weapon of the enemy will stand against you (Isaiah 54:17) and you are able to do all things through Christ who strengthens you. ( Philippians 4:13)

Today we must understand that there will be opportunities in our life to accomplish the will of God in this world… And, while we will have opposition from the Adversary, we can be confident that we shall always prevail with Christ.

Blessings,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 15, 2012 * RECYCLED SOULS

Rick Farlee — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:47:36 +0000

PHILIPPIANS 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Sometimes it seems that the U.S. has gone crazy over the “recycling” business… The rest of the world must think we’re very strange. We recycle aluminum, paper, plastic, steel, …and a whole variety of things. Is that a priority for the rest of the planet? No, not really. “Recycling” is really all about making money. Why do you think that purchasing a ream of recycled paper costs more than a regular ream of paper? Because companies capitalize on the emotional conscience of citizens who think that they are “helping the environment” by supporting the “recycle” industry. It’s like brainwashing… If there was no profit motive built into the industry, it would have very little impact in the world. …Think about it for a minute… People are starving around the world and they are not thinking about pollution or diminishing resources… Their concern is having enough food to survive for one more day…

Recycling may be a noble cause for communities who promote it as being “politically correct”, but if there was no “profit” involved, or even worse, if it “cost” communities to recycle, it would not be a serious issue. It’s a fabricated industry that takes a by-product and turns it into a profitable enterprise. Somebody is making money… In my opinion, it’s not something that we should be totally committed to…

There is only one area in our life where “recycling” must require our total commitment… lost souls. GOD RECYCLES SOULS. As followers of Christ, we must invest every resource available to us in order to bring the lost souls of this world to Him… He created us all, and He wants us all back. …As for the other areas of the plant, …I believe that He will take care of it all. Are we really so self-focused that we think God needs us to help Him with trash, pollution and oil shortages? Seriously? If the oil runs out, then something will take it’s place… (Remember when there was a time when people needed whale oil for lamps?…) Trust God and He will supply all of our needs. (Philippians 4:19)

Recycled souls are to be the top priority for every Believer.

Selah

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org

The Lamb’s Way, February 14, 2012 * HEARING THE WORD

Rick Farlee — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:53:31 +0000

ROMANS 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If faith comes by hearing the Word of God, one might reasonably ask, “Where does fear come from?”. Obviously, “fear” doesn’t come from God. If anything, He encourages us not to be fearful…

2 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind… Fear is a spirit! It is a “spirit” that was not given to us from God. It is a spirit of Satan. Fear is a dark, deadly spirit.

Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Now, if “faith” is not seen, …likewise, “fear” is also not seen. But, both are believed. Fear is believing that if you leave your house that someone will hurt you… and faith is believing that Jesus is always with you as your shield and protector… (Psalms 91:4) Fear is standing before an audience to tell people about Jesus, …believing that they will not believe you. …Faith is standing before a crowd of people and proclaiming the Word of God, believing that He is with you and will guide you in what to say and promise that His Word will not return void. (Isaiah 55:11) …Fear is being afraid of the dark, …whereas Faith is going to sleep in peace because the Lord is your shield and protector. (Psalms 59:1)

Fear and faith are both things that we believe in… Neither are things which are seen, yet one brings torment while the other is focused on hope. Since the Bible tells us that faith comes by “hearing” the Word of God (Romans 10:17), then fear must come from hearing the negative things of the world, or of Satan.

Faith brings peace and fear delivers terror. That’s why the Word says that God will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Him. (Isaiah 26:3) If you are fearful about anything today, put your mind upon God’s Word because faith comes from hearing (present tense), …not from having heard… Read it, say it, think it, …and hear it constantly in order to push the spirit of fear away from you. It promises the peace that passes understanding… Isn’t that what we all desire?

Blessings,

Rick & Sandy

thelambsway.org