Dale Cresap's blog

Do you accept the premise that I am unchanging? You have this as a doctrine based on the assertions of scripture. Are you fully convinced of it yourself? For you can read my word and get the impression that the rules have changed substantially regarding things like polygamy, slavery, and divorce. I was asked if a man could divorce his wife for any reason, since the Law of Moses had permitted this. I said Moses allowed this for the hardness of their hearts, but from the beginning it was not so. Many things you see as changing are not true reflections of my unchanging heart. If you look deeply for my steadfastness you will find it.

Do you ever confuse intelligence with character? Have you ever met simple people who are kind, and bright people who are mean? Intelligence and knowledge are highly rated in your culture, and you have an enormous educational system to develop them. Even if you accept the premise that intelligence is determined by genetics, you have a choice to keep your mind active or not, and everyone can learn more information. Do you have a method available that is as well developed, thorough, and systematic to develop your character? I want you to understand the value of this and give it due importance. Ask of me and I will teach you. 

Have you ever received revelation from me? Blessed are those who know my voice. If you think you have not, or are not sure, how do you know or why do you think you have not? Do you think it requires an earthquake, a flood, or even a windstorm? I can be in these things but more often I speak in a still small voice. Do you think revelation requires you to solve thorny theological dilemmas? You can hear from me without doing this. The thoughts that I think of you are of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope, and I am willing to share them with you. When such thoughts come to you, think of them as a revelation from me. 

I promised to return, so you can count on that. My word supplies some information about the events leading up to this, but I didn’t include a timeline, so people have taken it upon themselves to generate their own. Yet the many predictions of the date of my return have all turned out to be premature. How should you approach this issue? You know better than to set a date yourself. Should you concentrate on your own spiritual formation and ministry, or events to come? The certainty of my return and the realization that it could be soon should inspire you to be good and faithful stewards now. 

Does it bother you that I expect you to grant forgiveness freely? Does it seem like you are letting the people who hurt you get away with it? Does it appear that this requires you to revisit offenses against you with no justice or resolution? I do expect you to revisit these situations but not for the purpose of obtaining justice. The process of granting forgiveness changes you. It allows you to release the offense and deal with it in a way that renders it harmless against you. My word teaches you to be transformed into my likeness. Granting forgiveness is a way that you can participate in this process.

My word tells the story of two of my disciples who were on the road to Emmaus. It doesn’t say why they were going there, and Emmaus is not a prominent place in the Bible. Do you ever consider your own life to be quite ordinary, living in and going to places that are not special, and doing routine tasks? But the details of the business in Emmaus were not central to the story. The point was that my presence changed everything. This same principle applies in your life even if you consider it to be otherwise ordinary. My presence infuses divine life into your life and makes the ordinary extraordinary. 

Have you ever quoted the verse about all things working together for good for those who love God to someone in extreme heartache and tragic devastation? Have you ever had it quoted to you in similar circumstances? Which did you enjoy more? That verse is in scripture, but it is better for you to affirm and embrace it because I have given it to you than for some would-be comforter to quote it casually. This is a powerful statement if it is spoken in first person by someone in the midst of great suffering, to affirm their steadfastness in me and declare that good will come of it.

Is it easy to see the logic that you have to give up harmful and detrimental things to do the work that I have set before you? Is it harder to understand that you also have to give up things that are good and beneficial? Consider the most productive people you know. Are they involved in everything? You really can be spread too thin. Do you have a sense of destiny? You may have many things competing for your time and attention, but I have not called you to all of them. I have given you a future and a hope, and enough energy to carry them out. Lay aside weights, even those that are good, that you may run the race set before you. 

Are you influenced by the culture you live in? This is inevitable, even as a fish is immersed in water. This influence can be good or bad, or a combination of these. Are you aware of the influence your culture has on you? Don’t assume that you are. It takes a deliberate effort. You are so close to it that you accept its values unless you consciously evaluate them. I want you to make this effort. Then you can embrace and affirm the positive things that it gives you, and oppose and reject those things that work against you. A fish has no alternative but to live in the water, but it can swim against the current. 

Do you know that I am with you always, watching over you and protecting you? You have to sleep, but I don’t. You may be weary from self-preservation, but you would have greater peace if you knew I was doing this for you. Do you think you live in a dangerous world? You are aware of threats and hazards, but are you aware that I am greater than these and that no one can pluck you from my hand? I tell you not to fear, and give you every reason not to. Choosing peace rather than fear is more than a more pleasant frame of mind. It will allow you to walk the path that I have set before you and do what I have called you to do.