We Watched

 We watched man kill the Son of God,

We the Host of Heaven with tears in our eyes And our swords drawn,

Stood there and watched man kill the Son of God.

We would have attacked and destroyed them all,

At His voice command, we would have,

But He said, forgive them, and then He died.                               

We watched as men took Him from His cross,                                              

And laid Him in His tomb,                                              

And we watched over Him.

Then came that grand and glorious morning,                              

When the Son of God burst forth from the tomb,                                      

And we the Host of Heaven rejoiced,                                 

We who watched man kill the Son of God.

This poem comes fromMatthew 26:52-54. This is where Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, has been arrested and the disciples are drawing their swords to defend Him. Jesus tells them to stop and that He could pray that the Father would send 12 legions of angels to defend Him.    

  This is a powerful statement. The Amplified Bible states that 12 legions would have been more than 80,000 angels. This would have been a force to completely destroy all mankind, except for the followers of Christ. One angel killed 70,000 between morning and evening in ll Samuel 24:15-17 and another angel killed 185,000 in one night in ll Kings 19:34-36.       

  But, Jesus love for man and His heart to do the will of the Father kept Him from calling for the angels. And it was not just at this point He could have called for help. Jesus called out at any point -- when He was falsely convicted and when He was whipped 39 times and mocked by Roman Soldiers. Also, when He stood before the crowd yelling, "crucify him," as He carried His cross and when He was hanging on the cross. Even at the point of death, He could have called for the angels.       

  The Love of Christ for each and every one of us compelled Jesus to follow the plan of salvation laid out before creation was created. Truly, all the angels and for that matter, all the demons watched Jesus carry out the ultimate act of love for mankind.       

  This is why we celebrate Easter. The price for sin has been paid, and all our sins are forgiven. We can all have a relationship with God, our loving Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, if you believe.


                  © COPYRIGHT  1975 RICHARD L.SPANGLER

The Unnatural Natural

Richard L. Spangler

   A few years ago I lost three family members in three months, my youngest brother Sidney on December 23, 2009, my brother Jon (a year younger than me) on March 2, 2010 and my mother-in-law Eloise March 21, 2010. To say the least I was reeling under the weight of grief. I cried out to the Lord, “Help, I need something to get me through this.”

   I heard the Lord say, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” To that I replied, “Lord I don’t need riddles I need an answer.” (Thank God He loves me and is patience with me.)

 At this point, I heard again, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” It was then I began to think about what was being said. Death is a natural part of our physical existence. Everything in the physical universe eventually dies but our spirits are eternal. We live forever.

   This then is the conflict we experience in dealing with the death a love one, a friend or a pet. Our spirits realize that this is not natural; we are not suppose to die, we were created to live forever by God. We were never meant to experience separation from God, our family, and friends and even our pets. Remember, before the fall of man there was no death in the universe so animals were eternal also. When man sinned, he brought death into the entire universe.

 God put eternity in our hearts, Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He Has put eternity in their hearts,.

   This makes death hard for us to deal with, whether sudden or a prolonged illness before death, it is still unnatural to our spirits.  Our spirits are screaming from deep inside us, “This is not right! This is not supposed to happen! ” Yet it does.The unnatural separation occurs and we are left with a sense of lost and aloneness. It does not matter what people say or what we know, we still feel the unnaturalness of the loss and the grief that goes with it.

 Thank God, that He gives each of us  time to come to terms with this unnatural event.  The Bible says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NKJV).

   Jesus quotes the Prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). 
  God is here with us. He holds hand, wraps us in His loving arms and will even pick us up and carry us through the valley of death. He also lets us know that for the believer this separation is temporary, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NKJV).
 
   Even in the darkness hours of our lives, there is hope for us that believe in Jesus Christ. We know that the unnatural separation of death is only temporary and we will again be with our love ones and friends, if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and received forgiveness from sin.
   Those that do not know Christ do not have this hope, They only the darkness of confusion and grief caused the unnatural separation of death.  If you want this hope, please pray this prayer: 
   Dear Lord Jesus,
  I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give me life. I know You are the only way to God. So now I want to quit disobeying You and start living for You. Please forgive me, change my life and show me how to know You.
  In Jesus' name. Amen. 
 
  Contact me,directly or call the CBN Prayer Center 1-800-759-0700 and talk with a Prayer Partner, let them know you prayed this prayer on this blog and ask them for the New Day. Then, once you know Christ, ask Him to save your family and friends. He will use you to lead them to Him.

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

The Time of the Seer Anointing

By Richard L Spangler

  The Lord has been saying to me the phrase, “The time of the seer anointing.” I have heard this same phrase two or three times a day in the past two weeks. So I began to meditate and ask the Lord what is the meaning of this phrase.

  I was then caught up in a vision; I was standing in what looked like a winery. The winery was a massive place. There were huge vats, which were at least a hundred stories high. In the midst of these vats was the Lord Jesus.

  Jesus said. “The time has come to open the Vat of the Seer Anointing.”

  He reached down and opened a valve and the anointing of the seer flows out. It does not run all over the floor. The anointing creates an opening in the floor and flows through the opening. I move closer and looking into the opening I see the earth. The anointing is, at first splashing onto the earth in one place or another. The anointing keeps flowing until the earth is completely soaked. The anointing continuously flows to earth, even after it is completely soaked. Soon it is flowing in great waves across the planet.
 
I look up and Jesus is standing beside me. Jesus says, “This Seer Anointing has been prepared for this time. It is available to all who know me, and walk with me and know my voice. For now, they will not only hear, but they will see and seeing they will do.
 
This anointing is not only for my church but is also for those who don’t know me. It will give them hope, in this time of man’s hopelessness. For as my people go and do, what they see the Holy Spirit doing, it will give mankind hope and many will come to know me.”

A seer is a prophet who not only hears what God is saying but also sees what God the Father is doing and has visions. There are many seers in the Bible. Samuel was the first one that the Hebrew word for seer was used for a person. Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel all were seers; they all had visions from God.

     An example of seeing what is happening in the spirit realm is found in    2 Kings 6:17 Then Elisha prayed, Lord, I pray You, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the young man's eyes, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. (AMP).

  The seer can be found in the New Testament. Jesus in John 5:19 (AMP)¹⁹So Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn]. This was an amazing statement Jesus not heard the Father but saw Him doing. We think hearing the Lord is great and it is but, to see Him working and do what He is doing is better. If see the Holy Spirit healing someone with our spiritual eyesight, then we can move with the Holy Spirit and become the physical point of contact to release that healing into the earth. Literally, we can bring the will of Father down to earth as it is done in heaven. The other benefit is in seeing the Holy Spirit move and do and then moving with Him whatever it is will happen.

  Peter’s vision in Acts 10:9 prepared him for what the Holy Spirit was going to do among the gentles a few hours later and help open the way of salvation to the gentles.  Paul’s vision in Acts 16:9 of the Macedonian man. This vision caused Paul to change his plans and let to the founding of the Macedonian Church. Paul being caught up into the Third Heaven and John’s visions in The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ are all examples of the seer anointing.

   All of these are seers or moved under the seer anointing and you can too. First make sure of your relationship with Jesus. Second spend time mediating on the Word of God. Third, spend time in the Presence of the Lord, listening to him. Finally wherever you are or whatever you are doing be available and do what God shows you to do.

            ©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

 

 

This book is a book prophetic visions and teachings that God blessed me with and I hope it Blesses you. Available at Amazon.com   

A Psalm 91 Life

By Richard Spangler

   I am sitting in my chair, trying to decide what to write. Then the issues of the day begin to crowd my mind. Will there be an economic collapse or boom? Will the upcoming elections mean change for the better or for the worst? Will there be war? Will there be another terrorist attack in our country? Then on a personal level: Will I be able to lose the weight I want to lose this year? Will I get my first book published? Will I move forward financially?  What will it be like being a grandfather?

   Just one of these questions can lead you down the road of fear and anxiety if you allow them.  Put them all together and you have a mountain of uncertainty.  Many people are in fear and panic because of these questions, including many Christians. They are asking, “Is there hope? Can I survive? What, if anything can I do?”

  Yes, there is hope in God! In the Bible God promises, “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent”(Psalm 91:9-10 Amp).

God also states in Psalm 91 that He will cover you; He will give angels charge over you, no pestilence (no disease), no sudden death, nor any evil shall befall you. And the list goes on.

The key to these promises is found in verse 14, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]”(Psalm 91:14 AMP).

  As you determine with your mind to love God and set your heart to do so, you take the first turn of the key for the promises of God found in Psalm 91.

Many of you have taken that first turn of the key by accepting Jesus Christ into your heart. For those who have not, there is no better time than now.

    The next turn of the key is equally as important. It is getting to know God with a personal knowledge of His mercy, love and kindness. It is discovering Who God is, and not just by reading the Bible and praying.

This happens two ways. First, meditate, don’t just reading the Bible, but think about what you are reading. According to Webster’s Dictionary, Meditate is: to engage in contemplation or reflection: to focus one's thoughts on: reflect on or ponder over. In other words, take time to think about what you are reading. In our fast paced society we scan more than we read.

    We scan e-mails, texts, letters and articles without reading them and thinking about what is being said. Take time with the Bible, stop and ask, “What does this mean? How does this apply to my life?” Ask the Lord to help you understand and to teach you. Don’t scan it and walk away saying, “I’ve done my Bible reading for the day.” and check it off of that never ending To Do List.

Secondly, it happens by making time for God, spending time with Him. Remember, God created man to spend time with Him. An example of this is in the Bible.

“And out of the ground the Lord God formed every [wild] beast and living creature of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 2:19 AMP).

God would create an animal, and then bring it to Adam to name. God was interested to see what name would be given. I imagine that was some discussion of the creature’s design and purpose between God and Adam. This took time.

 Also, in Genesis, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…But the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you” (Genesis 3:8-9 AMP)?

This shows God coming to spend time with Adam and Eve. This was not unusual for Adam and Eve. They even knew the sound of God walking and would go out to meet and spend time with God. This is what God wants, for us to know Him. This is why Jesus came to earth, so that a way would be open for man to be able to spend time with God and know him again.

 Set aside time, every day to get to know Father God better.  Sit and listen for His voice. Get to know His presence. Have personal knowledge and relationship with God.

   This will unlock all the promises in Psalm 91, and much more, will become yours. It will not matter what happens, good or bad, for you will be hidden in God’s presence and protection.

 

 

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

 

 

Available at  Amazon.com

 

 

 

 

 

WHO ARE YOU? PART 1

By Richard Spangler

   The question, “Who are you?” plagues many a person, including many Christian. Who you are is at the very core of your existence. Most people go through life thinking what they do is who they are. They themselves as a mailman, doctor, mother, father, minister and the list goes on. Those who think of themselves as only what they do have a crisis every time what they do changes. The man or women who spends a lifetime building their career and identity is wrapped up in that career have a major problems when they have to retire or are no longer have that career path available to them. So where do we go to find out who we are? Where do we go to “find ourselves”.

   The best place to find out who we are is God and the Bible. Who does God said you are? Let’s look and find out.The first thing we see is the servant according to Webster’s is: one that serves others <a public servant>; especially: one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer. Abram uses the first reference of servant in relationship to God. This now Abram saw himself in relationship to God. In Genesis 18:3 (AMP) And said, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant, I beg of you.

   A servant is one who goes and does what the master tells him to do. A servant does things whether they want to or not. They do what they are told. Their relationship with the master is to do or be punished. There may develop a love for their master (if he is a good person), but the relationship is overshadowed by having to please the master or be punished. If the servant wants something from the master, he must beg for it and may have to extras for the master, who may or may not grant their request.

   This is true of many Christians, we see ourselves only as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We go and do as the Holy Spirit tells us. Many believers never get beyond the servant level of relationship with God. We limit ourselves to the servant, as did Abram. We try to please God into granting us His blessings. The servant attitude prevails: I have to pray more, fast more, read more, memorize more and do more to get God’s favor so He will bless us with finances, health, healing, deliverance and anything else we might ask.

  This can lead us down the road of legalism, of having to do to get. Unfortunately, this attitude and relationship with God has been taught, by many church leaders as “The Relationship with God” and in order to serve God we must serve them without question, as a good servant.

   I am not saying that a servant of the Lord does not love God because he or she does. But, the mentality of the servant position colors everything about our relationship with God. Notice that I said, “Servant position” for it is not who we are in Christ. It is what we do out of our love for God. God stated later in Genesis 18 that He saw Abram as more than a servant, and He sees us as much more than a servant, but more about that later.

 

 

 

 

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Watched

By Richard L Spangler
  

We watched man kill the Son of God,

We the Host of Heaven with tears in our eyes, And our swords drawn,

Stood there and watched man kill the Son of God.

We would have attacked and destroyed them all,

At His voice command, we would have,

But He said, forgive them, and then He died.                               

We watched as men took Him from His cross,                                              

And laid Him in His tomb,                                              

And we watched over Him.

Then came that grand and glorious morning,                              

When the Son of God burst forth from the tomb,                                      

And we the Host of Heaven rejoiced,                                 

We who watched man kill the Son of God.

This poem comes from Matthew 26:52-54. This is where Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane has been arrested and the disciples are drawing their swords to defend Him. Jesus tells them to stop and that He could pray that the Father would send 12 legions of angels to defend Him.    

This is a powerful statement. The Amplified Bible states that 12 legions would have been more than 80,000 angels. This would have been a force to completely destroy all mankind, except for the followers of Christ. One angel killed 70,000 between morning and evening in II Samuel 24: 15-17 and another angel killed 185,000 in one night in II Kings 19:34-36.        

But, Jesus love for man and His heart to do the will of the Father kept Him from calling for the angels. And it was not just at this point He could have called for help. Jesus called out at any point -- when He was falsely convicted and when He was whipped 39 times and mocked by Roman Soldiers. Also, when He stood before the crowd yelling, "crucify him," as He carried His cross and when He was hanging on the cross. Even at the point of death, He could have called for the angels.       

The Love of Christ for each and every one of us compelled Jesus to follow the plan of salvation laid out before creation was created. Truly, all the angels and for that matter, all the demons watched Jesus carry out the ultimate act of love for mankind.       

This is why we celebrate Easter. The price for sin has been paid, and all our sins are forgiven. We can all have a relationship with God, our loving Father, though His Son Jesus Christ, if you believe.

If you don’t believe, now is the perfect time to make the decision to believe. Just pray this simple prayer.

Dear, Lord Jesus I am a sinner and have done many things wrong. I believe you died for my sins, and I ask you now to forgive me, and I receive your forgiveness. I ask you to be my Savior and Lord. Thank you Jesus. Amen.  

                  © Copyright  1975 Richard L Spangler

Hope you enjoyed this reprint of the poem "We Watched" and the devotion. Have a Blessed Easter Everyone

---

The Unnatural Natural

Richard L. Spangler

   A few years ago I lost three family members in three months, my youngest brother Sidney on December 23, 2009, my brother Jon (a year younger than me) on March 2, 2010 and my mother-in-law Eloise March 21, 2010. To say the least I was reeling under the weight of grief. I cried out to the Lord, “Help, I need something to get me through this.”

   I heard the Lord say, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” To that I replied, “Lord I don’t need riddles I need an answer.” (Thank God He loves me and is patience with me.)

 At this point, I heard again, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” It was then I began to think about what was being said. Death is a natural part of our physical existence. Everything in the physical universe eventually dies but our spirits are eternal. We live forever.

   This then is the conflict we experience in dealing with the death a love one, a friend or a pet. Our spirits realize that this is not natural; we are not suppose to die, we were created to live forever by God. We were never meant to experience separation from God, our family, and friends and even our pets. Remember, before the fall of man there was no death in the universe so animals were eternal also. When man sinned, he brought death into the entire universe.

 God put eternity in our hearts, Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He Has put eternity in their hearts,.

   This makes death hard for us to deal with, whether sudden or a prolonged illness before death, it is still unnatural to our spirits.  Our spirits are screaming from deep inside us, “This is not right! This is not supposed to happen! ” Yet it does.The unnatural separation occurs and we are left with a sense of lost and aloneness. It does not matter what people say or what we know, we still feel the unnaturalness of the loss and the grief that goes with it.

 Thank God, that He gives each of us  time to come to terms with this unnatural event.  The Bible says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NKJV).

   Jesus quotes the Prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). 
  God is here with us. He holds hand, wraps us in His loving arms and will even pick us up and carry us through the valley of death. He also lets us know that for the believer this separation is temporary, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NKJV).
 
   Even in the darkness hours of our lives, there is hope for us that believe in Jesus Christ. We know that the unnatural separation of death is only temporary and we will again be with our love ones and friends, if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and received forgiveness from sin.
   Those that do not know Christ do not have this hope, They only the darkness of confusion and grief caused the unnatural separation of death.  If you want this hope, please pray this prayer: 
   Dear Lord Jesus,
  I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give me life. I know You are the only way to God. So now I want to quit disobeying You and start living for You. Please forgive me, change my life and show me how to know You.
  In Jesus' name. Amen. 
 
  Contact me,directly or call the CBN Prayer Center 1-800-759-0700 and talk with a Prayer Partner, let them know you prayed this prayer on this blog and ask them for the New Day. Then, once you know Christ, ask Him to save your family and friends. He will use you to lead them to Him.

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER