Russel David Hobbs

WAITING FOR THE BRIDE

Have you ever been in love, really in love; that all you can think about is her kind of love? Your heart is burning with excitement…”I can’t wait to see her! I wonder if she wants to see me as much as I want to see her. I can’t wait to show her my love, the time we spend talking about cute little nothings”.

Everything melts away in the stream of our intimacy, time flies by, nothing else matters when we are together..

Would you believe this is how God thinks about you? Jesus Christ, the (Creator of the Universe), Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and final authority over all things is absolutely and fanatically in love with his redeemed, the people whom He has purchased with His blood. The Church, it sounds so big and impersonal, doesn’t it? Actually this family is made up of innumerable multitudes of very special people like you. Everyone has their own fears, problems, and soap opera going on, but Jesus is thinking continually of each of His beloved – He is in love with you!

“How precious are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.” Psalms 139:17-18

How could God, so awesome, so big, so busy, and sometimes (we think) so demanding, be in love with little old me? The truth is: the Almighty, all powerful, all knowing, all holy God created this whole big plan just to be in love with you. All the careers, endeavors, and passions we have as human beings are just a backdrop in which we may learn of relationship with God and with people.

“And He has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” Acts 17: 26-28

This life is a parabolic manifestation of the eternal reality. The marriage between husband and wife is a parable to know of our relationship with Jesus. All plants start with a seed, grow to maturity, produce fruit full of seed, the seed fall to the ground which is sown and produces more seed: all a picture of death, burial and resurrection. In fact, the first creation all died in Adam, and now Christ Jesus, the second Adam, has sown his Word into fertile ground which is us, and now we are raised into a new life. This was all made possible by the death on the cross and resurrection by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever.” 1 Peter 1:23

“And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Revelation 14:15

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” James 5:7

It is easy to get lost in this seemingly confusing jungle of life. It is good to know that the Creator, God does come to us as a Shepherd. He seeks us out at a time of our “ripeness” and reveals himself to us. With one touch of His spirit, His love changes us forever. We can never settle for the temporal things of the world. Now that we are born of heaven, there is a new hunger in our hearts to know him, to be with him, to receive more of him. Just like when you fall in love, aimlessly stumbling through life with friends, hoping someday something will happen to fill your dreams. Destiny will knock. Then, when you least expect it, boom! you meet that special person and you’ll never be the same. All those feelings you thought had been used up by hurtful relationships all return. Perhaps you’ve never felt that before…the burning in your heart right above the butterflies in your stomach every time you are about to see that special person all drive home this powerful truth…you’re in love.

Have you ever considered how God feels? His feelings are even more powerful than ours. He doesn’t bury his feelings or drown them with drinking. He is not in denial or simply afraid to love. He is passionately jealous for you, and the only reason He is waiting to return and take His bride in His arms and love her with all His heart is the sobering reality that many who are destined for this unfathomable event are not ready yet. Many don’t even know Him yet, others are confused and don’t want Him yet. Still, He paces the floor of heaven like a lion roaring over his pride, anticipating the day He will show her. He will cancel all of her doubts and fears once and for all, and finally, like a volcano erupting, like the rising of the sun or the Aurora Borealis dancing in the northern sky: He will come with a shout at the final trump. He will ride the clouds and split the sky and appear in His Glory. Then all walls will come down, all veils will be blown away. Everything will be laid open at the brightness of His coming. Why does He wait? Why has He set it all up like this? Why does He allow injustice and suffering and leave us here seemingly squandering our lives away?…. To prepare the bride to be able to receive His love and rule and reign. Because He is in love with us, and we will be with Him for eternity, He knows how to perfect us.

” But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 2 Peter 3;8-10

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into various temptations;3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-4

He is in love with you and He will accomplish His plans to unite the eternal family once and for all in Glory to love on forever. Please humble yourself. Open your heart to Him. Tell Him how much you need Him; ask for Him to show you His face and His ways; to become one with Him. Seek and ye shall find. He is LOVE.

“ The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handywork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shows knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them has he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run a race.” Psalm 19:1-5

Russell David Hobbs

FOOD REVELATION LEADS TO FOOD REVOLUTION

The Love of Money is the Root of All Kinds of Evil, “It’s Work to Chew”

A restaurant is a church for the physical body.  When the church is run God’s way, people are blessed.  Most people have never experienced a scriptural church. Very few people have ever experience a scriptural restaurant.  The movie theater is church for the soul (mind, will and emotions).  Movies work on the mind to move the emotions and, ultimately, change your will. When we subject ourselves to church, restaurants or movies, our entire being is affected greatly.  Society today and public opinion is a product of what we have all been fed over the past decades.

All of these establishments feed parts of our being; the “ministers” of these, (writers, directors, bartenders, cooks, clergy, counselors, ticket takers and crooks) transfer the spirit behind each organization into our being. Everything under the sun was created by God; our challenge is to discern which of these is life and which is death, then choose life!

Most churches today serve a steady diet of “low fat” homogenized milk and “enriched” white bread made with “refined” flour instead of the unleavened bread of the real gospel. The hard sayings of Jesus hurt finances.  This so-called bread made of “refined” flour is an adulterated version of the wheat that God has given us.  Through the process of bleaching and pulverizing, it becomes easier to chew, yet hardly nutritious. then it must be “enriched” with synthetic vitamins because it is depleted from its natural state. Jesus calls himself “the bread of life,” the Word of God made flesh. Sometimes the gospel preached today is so refined that it has become a perversion of truth, to the point that it is Antichrist. Galatians 1;6-12. It is palatable, it looks good, but it is deceptive and leads a person to feeling “full,” but not content. Modern teachers have reduced the gospel to behaviorism with Jesus and put Jesus name on it, the philosophy of the world in Jesus’ name. The true gospel, the whole sprouted grain, is the only power that leads to salvation (1 Cor. 1:18) and it brings death to the carnal mind of the hearer. But the truth releases us to eternal liberty!  Which bread do you feed on: the anti-Christ refined bread which is profitable for its ministers or the real thing, which has great cost? If we shortcut in this life by eating the junk that feels good for a moment we will pay by experiencing poor health and spend time and money on doctors. If we shortcut in this life by embracing watered down sugarcoated teaching we will pay for it by missing out on the power and presence of God and bearing eternal fruit for our Lord and master.

Boycott

I felt the poison surge through my body after a few bites of the French fries at a local chain restaurant. Then the revelation hit me, the spirit of the world is transferred through the food, music and servants of these greed establishments.  The three week old grease alone would have been enough to kill me, but there was more.  My whole being had felt light, free and loved, but as soon as I submitted myself to this “ministry of greed” I felt dead.  Now you may be thinking, this is crazy, but until you have lived on pure food, cooked with love, you can’t relate.  We must boycott the world in every way and live a separated life like John the Baptist who Jesus called the greatest man ever born of a woman. Purity and quality are the call, come out and be separate, touch not the unclean thing. Let us cook in our homes more often than not until our restaurants are established. Then the people will all boycott the greed centers and come to God’s feeding grounds. Like when a person gets saved, they leave the bar and come to the church.  When a person gets revelation offood, they leave corporate restaurant slavery and cook at home or find restaurants that serve quality food.  Revelation brings on revolution!  Repentance comes from the Geek word metanoia which means change in the mind, “be transformed by renewing your mind.”  In modern civilization our quality of life has been diminished.  Sure, we can fly around the world in 5 hours or watch the Pope speak on TV from Rome, but try and find a fresh wholesome meal prepared with loving hands, the closest thing you’ll find is a “health” food store full of neurotic, new age gurus munching on sprouts. Today, the highways are lined with corporate clones of the latest test marketing winner, the latest combination of successful chains. These profit centers are staffed by people who are there only to punch a clock for a paycheck and trained like robots to throw a chemical-laden entree in the microwave, then rush it to you table.  Then, they have the audacity to try to push a corporate dessert sales pitch down your throat.  So impersonal, these excuses for restaurants must dazzle you with cute names for the plates, walls cluttered with fake antique junk and music so loud, conversation is impossible. The people’s knowledge of food is way ahead of availability, in our fast paced life, many are forced to compromise their diet for convenience in the restaurant revolution, God’s prophets of the food industry will see that the ministers must be of utmost character, walk in holiness and have a genuine burden for the customer.

The tyrant king that rules this world teaches his slaves how to feed the masses overcooked scraps with cute names, laughing as he watches the people line up for fried junk, twelve packs of watered down beer and lottery tickets. But, the revolution has begun: people of truth taking the land, eating pure food, even if they must boycott restaurants that kill.

The Times and Trends

People Do the Best they Know How to Do

We are living in a renaissance, a reformation; even a time of revolution.  In the area of religion, God is bringing the church into a unity never witnessed before through revelation of the simplicity of grace.  People now know the vanity of the “Party hard” lifestyle of the disco 70’s and the decadent 80’s.  The reality of AIDS turned the life styles of people in the late 80’s back to the church and seeking healing. This need led many people back to the church or twelve-step programs for answers. Some church bodies actually know the answer, many do not.  God in His sovereignty will accomplish His work. Nevertheless, in the are of diet, which I consider the second most important aspect of our lives, we see an awesome transition taking place. The talk shows, magazines and conversations are buzzing with information on food and a real quest for truth is evident. God rains on the just and the unjust, all knowledge He shares with His prophets eventually gets parroted by the world through the media and true doctors.  In the end, He will receive all Glory! Nevertheless, today everybody is hearing “low fat, eat fruits and vegetables” and the food pyramid is even on cereal boxes.  The problem is, the restaurants are very slow at re-tooling to stay up with the demand for quality.   People simply look for the best deal in the shortest amount of time to meet their need for food. With the real motive of restaurants being “to make money,” management grudgingly employs “low fat” items or day-old salads in a box. We must look to God and learn His ways. God created mankind, He created food for man, even in our fallen state, He has made provision.  The less we manipulate the natural state of fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains and meats; the more nourishing they are to our being.  We do not eat because we are hungry, we are hungry because we need to eat when our body is depleted of certain necessary minerals, proteins, enzymes, or vitamins.  By design we were made to eat; this was touched on in the first chapter. Without revelation, no amount of information you memorize (or calories you count) are going to enlighten you on the simplicity offood.  Modern man, in his quest for quality of life and pursuit of happiness, continues to find it in the least expected places: God, His creation and relationships. The word “radical” has been popularized by the youth.  Radical means “root.”  As man finds his roots, he finds revelation.  Just as science took thousands of years to discover the world was round, the Bible proclaimed this truth before the question was asked.  So, it is with health, the Word of God tell us many things about how to take care of this great gift, our body but people, in their “sophistication” scoff at “that ancient book.”

Let Our Conversation Be

The world, like a jungle, is so full of philosophies and decisions to make.  Sown into this runaway train is the corruption of sin, now motivated by greed.  We see antacids sold on TV commercials, a quick fix that will sooner or later cause heart trouble.  These acids are made to break down foods in this complex system.  With no thought of changing the eating habits, people choose the world’s philosophy and try to “fix” problems scientifically, but never give up sin or eating junk. The key to knowing the truth that will set us free is given only when we humbly receive the truth.  We must believe that God is and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, Hebrews 11;6  Seek wisdom and get understanding; this is the chief thing, Proverbs 4;7.  God gives us the knowledge to discern good and evil and the wisdom to live hi way in this deceptive world rather than touched by the plague of sin from Adam.  The foodthat we consume in our spirit, soul and body must be pure.  If any part of our being is craving impure food, whether it is pornography, deceptive theology, or Twinkies, this is evidence Satan has some place in us.  Jesus said, Satan has come and found nothing in me.  Why? because Jesus was dead to the world. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life had no power over him.  Satan has sown the lie into the creation with one lie to Adam’s wife, “You shall be as gods.”  All ambitions, search for significance, pride and independence are fruits of this sin: the pride of life! 1 John 2: 15-17.  The lust issues are easily exemplified by people craving television and junk food for the satisfying of the eyes and mouth.  The only way of liberty is to receive the truth through acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord, Adonai, the creator God of the universe.  He is the Door. Then, we receive the love of the Father.  The idea that people spread today about “accepting Jesus as Lord” is preposterous.  He must accept us, through the blood he shed on Golgotha (Skull Hill).  We confess unto salvation and believe; then we are justified by faith, then the sanctification begins.  Today, most Christian leaders only scratch the surface of sanctification.  The work is done by the Holy Spirit, not by our works, but the more we believe, yield, and die daily, the sooner He can accomplish this glorious work seen in 2 Thessalonians. 5:23. That our body, soul and spirit be found blameless on the day of the Lord’s return.  Our spirit is sanctified by the power of God immediately when we are saved. Our soul is sanctified b renewing our mind, Romans 12:1-2, and thirdly our body is sanctified as we yield it to God in a lifestyle that serves and gives glory to Him. The central point of this chapter is brought out in 2 Timothy 2;4, “the soldier of Christ shall not be entangled in things of the world.” Our whole society is centered around eating, drinking going to movies, and then, if we feel like it, visiting a lukewarm church for two hours on Sundays. This is NOT what the glorious Lion of Judah gave His blood for. He has purchased a spotless bride who is in love with Him, full of discernment, doing nothing that grieves the Holy Spirit.  Modern American Christians think that grace means we can “do anything we want now.” As far as salvation, this is true, we are indeed saved by grace, but to take this gift and walk this life in temporary pleasures and selfish endeavors proves ungratefulness.  Eat swine’s flesh, scream for your favorite sports team, and live the American dream, but those who love the Lord hear His voice and live for a higher caslling.  He called us to glorify His truth in every area of our life.  To glorify God is simply to do things His way, this acknowledges that He is God and He knows how things should be done.  Whether in food choice, preparation, or in church worship and government; we are blessed when we follow God’s plan for His creation.  We are the apple of His eye, He created the universe for us. Satan hates God because he is jealous, and he hates man because we are made in the image of God.  Today, there is an Antichrist voice that says man is a cancer on the earth and must be controlled so as not to hurt mother nature; this is demonic.  God made all the beauty, the splendor and the function to show us His ways and His character.  We are the main characters in the drama of life, the top of the food chain, the king of the hill, the object of His love! Man in his arrogance has tried to do it better than God since the Garden, where the serpent first led Adam into rebellion. Man has walked this path throughout history.  The original lie was “you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” Genesis 3:5. From that day all the way through to the Revelation where we see the number of the beast is “666, the number of man,” we see the same propensity of man trying to manipulate God, his fellow man, and the creation.  Man tries to set up a throne, or maybe just a “name” for himself.  The Antichrist, despite what many believe, is not the devil, but a man trying to be God. 2 Thessalonians. 2:7.

Let us bring this truth into the arena of food.  God has provided all we need to live on this earthly plane, even in this fallen state.  Firstly, in the Garden, all man had to do was pick fruit and receive nourishment. After the fall, God said, “Now you will eat by the sweat of your brow.” This is when agriculture started.  Vegetables became the main nourishment. Later, after the flood when the canopy that covered the earth was burst and the first hard rain fell Genesis 1:6, it was a new day and God said you may eat of the clean animals and not the unclean animals.  God told Noah to take seven of all of the clean animals into the ark and only a pair of all of the unclean animals.  The clean animals were created for man’s food and  used for sacrificed in the Levitical priesthood. The unclean animals were created to clean the earth and the sea.  Deuteronomy 14 shows the difference in the animals. “Thou shalt not eat any abominable things.” (see vs. 3-21) Noah had the revelation of clean and unclean animals before the law was brought through Moses.  The point here is that God made this place for us with plenty of resources for the prosperity our spirit, soul and body.  The more we manipulate the food, the less profitable it becomes for our health and the more profitable it becomes for the factory owner or restaurateur.  Back to the stages of food development: first, the Garden with fruit, secondly, from the sweat of the brow, agricultural vegetables and third, the post-flood consumption of meat, then the modernization of the flood supply for the masses of people. The industrial age brought forth much technology, causing the gentrification of the food supply, Sadly, quality was compromised by the canning, freezing and cooling methods.  Now, we are experiencing the fifth and final stage: the “post-industrial return to purity.” Today we see the affects of high tech seeds sown over the past hundred years.  Hospitals are full of people with food-related diseases. People think it is normal to feel badly most of their lives.  They take pills to ease the pain, then sign their will in a hospital bed.  We are faced with a complex problem of reeducating people in an era where most do not want to give up their addiction to junk food and try the more excellent way. We have become a society of abusive behavioral patterns, partially by choice, but mostly because there is no choice. People can only live according to the options available to them.  The single mom is working, and she gives her son $5 for dinner. He walks to the corner to choose between McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell.  His choice is very limited.  Next, he goes to the $1 movie where the choices are no more inspired than the corporate restaurant slavery chains he just burped out. Man never had to deal with chemical-laden food until after WWII. Throughout the ages, if you ate a vegetable, all you got was a vegetable.  Today, we must read ingredient labels and ask the restaurant if they use MSG or worse.  Many enlightened carnivores have given up eating out and must prepare quality foodat home. We are at the threshold of a food revolution.  Yes, there are a few stores which provide whole foods, and the whole world is talking about health, low fat diets, and eating healthier. However, the restaurants still don’t get it.  Most people do not know how good it feels to eat pure, fresh foods, prepared with loving hands,  and in an environment of peace, with anointed servants.

“The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Example; God created sugar cane and man has manipulated the cane in much the same way that cocaine is processed. By using an ether process which changes the chemical structure forming a rock, which we call “refined sugar.” the sugar has longer shelf life and is more addictive. If you don’t know how powerful it is, try to stop all use of it.  Cocaine is processed the same way as refined sugar: both are from natural sources and then manipulated to form addictive drugs.  God has given us honey, one of the single most nourish foods on earth. He has made bees labor year round for us to inherit the blessing of honey in a land of “milk and honey.”

This subject is not a new issue, and most people just think it is over emphasized but until a person experiences a clean life, without alcohol, caffeine, processed food, and  all adulterated substances, one cannot know the power of these chemicals.  Like a person living in a dirty room who one day opens the curtains and the sunlight pours in, exposing the filth; they either clean up and change or close the curtains to cover it up again.  Most people do not change until faced with a life-threatening disease.  For the love of God and beauty, others see the revelation and enjoy doing what brings glory to God.  God, our loving Father, has shown the way.  The full effect of this philosophy cannot be felt until the healing foods take over, and the power of the poison is deleted.  John the Baptist lived a separated life and walked in power.  Today, eating and drinking is entertainment.  Like ancient Rome, our society bombards us with the philosophy: “Eat, drink and be merry, lest tomorrow we may die.” Faith moves us to swim upstream, like salmon and conquer for the sake of truth, laying down our immediate lust and plow fields for tomorrow. Try it now and pray for revelation from God for the food you consume to fill your body, soul and spirit and he will give you power to be healthy, fruitful and more happy.

Russell David Hobbs 1995