Like most Christians trying to walk out my calling in 2012 I daily look to the Word of God for guidance and listen for His voice to order my steps. I sometimes even imagine what it must have been like to be recruited by Jesus like the disciples. These men were approached and compelled to follow Jesus. They developed a bond and a relationship like Rabbi and students or Father and sons and at the same time Jesus loved them deeply and counted them as His friends.
They went where He went. They observed and heard all that He did and said. He advised them. He taught them. He helped their ignorance and their unbelief. He helped them to exercise their faith muscles and to get over their own self interests and sins to be the rock upon which the modern church was built, the evangelists that spread the gospel to the nations and the men that performed mighty miracles and healings chronicled in the holy manuscripts that we read today.
What I find interesting is that every day with Jesus these men were being groomed and prepared for greater works, for higher heights and for deeper depths. They were being prepared to shepherd and care for God's people. They were being prepared to heal the sick and to raise the dead. They were being prepared to do what Jesus did. Yet while Jesus was with them they never fully understood. Jesus knew that they didn't grasp the full picture, but he continued to guide them to take care of people's need like when he fed the group of 5000 men with the two fish and five loaves of bread. He showed them how to be compassionate for the people when he shared the story of the Good Samaritan. He instilled the need to forgive people when he knelt down and drew in the sand daring any one to throw the first stone at the adulteress. Jesus laid the example of obedience and submission to the Father when He taught the disciples to pray. And eventually, He showed them how He came to fulfill the will of the Father and to reconcile His people back to the Father through the ultimate sacrifice of His life to provide salvation for the world.
He enlightened these men and prepared them for the purpose of preaching, teaching, being apostles and walking in the gifts and calling of God so that they could share the good news of His life, death, burial and resurrection; so that they could tell the world that through His sacrifice the gift of salvation is free.
In other words, these men didn't follow Jesus just for the simple sake of following someone. After all, there were many false prophets that had followings too. No. Jesus taught these men to yield to the will of the Father and to obey Him. All of this because of the Love that the Father has for us. Jesus introduced these men to that Love. He showed them that there really was no greater love than a man that would lay down His life for His friends; than a God who would sacrifice His son's innocent life for a world of sinners. Every day with Jesus was a valuable lesson for the disciples to learn how to reach people with the message that Jesus is the atonement for our sins; that He took the sting of death for us. When Jesus ascended into the heaven He gave these men instruction to share with the world what He had lived out with them every day.
Every day I ask myself if I am fulfilling that same call. In spite of my failings, my own self interests, my faults, my mistakes, my weakness. In spite of my mess, my past, my struggle and my longings. Am I living out the example of obedience to the will of the Father? Am I sharing the gospel? Am I working to provide the Word of life, redemption and reconciliation to everyone that I influence? Do I understand why I follow Him? Am I leading people to Christ and letting them know that the gift of salvation is free because of His sacrifice? Am I telling people that Jesus lived, died, was buried and resurrected so that they can have abundant and everlasting life with Him. Or do I just believe it for myself? Can anyone witness that I told them that Jesus saves to the utmost?
There's a song that says Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before, every day with Jesus I love Him more and more, Jesus saves me and keeps me saved, He's the one that I adore, every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. The Bible tells me how I love the Lord; by keeping His commandments. Matthew 28 19 and 20 says it this way 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching 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.
Make everyday a day to follow the example that Christ provided and to keep His commandments.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
God's Longing for His People
The book of Hosea chronicles the story of a man whom God led to marry a prostitute. Interestingly, little is known of the man himself, but much attention is given to Hosea's relationship with is wayward wife Gomer. We know that this story in fact is a representation of the relationship between God and the Children of Israel.
Fast forward now to 2012. Our Bishop prophesied at the beginning of this year that this is our year to experience governance, order and rulership. It is our time for God to put some things into our hands and to set our lives in order, yet for many of us this new season of our lives has brought us to a Hosea like place. God has been dealing with me on this for months and I am only able to write this morning.
God has revealed that so many of His people are wrestling with the enemy. People are dealing with Gomer situations because they are prostituting the gifts of God. People are refusing to come to the alter and to seek God, but they can't because of the rift they feel is between them the people of God, the leadership of God and God himself. People are wrestling with addictions, with loneliness, with false doctrine, with hard heartedness, with hatred, with demonic forces and all of this is leaving them in a dry and desolate place where they cannot feel the Lord.
God has told me that this is a time to learn. The lesson you ask? That lesson is found in the love story of Hosea and Gomer. Yes, I said love story. Hosea loved Gomer and every time she would stray, he would find her and redeem her. And although their relationship was used by God to express the struggle that the Children of Israel went through--constantly pursuing false gods--the story also shows us God's unrelenting love because of His covenant with His people. No matter how Israel played the harlot, God's love found her and redeemed her each time. That's love. How many of us are up to the challenge? It's not pretty. It's not convenient. It's not comfortable. It's not easy. It can be a lonely place.
How does all of this relate to the words of our Bishop? God's word is true. This is our year for rulership, governance and order. However, this is not our year for forgetting the body and forsaking the reason why God has chosen to move us into a more deeper relationship with Him. I believe that we are experiencing this Hosea like place so that we remember the people of God and so that we use whatever resources that He blesses us with to give the word of redemtion and reconsiliation to the people. What we have been struggling with and what we have been experiencing is only a light example of what our community is struggling with and what our children are going through. God wants us to use our own experiences as a way to see how He is longing to redeem our community, our children, our mothers, fathers, our school teachers, our police officers, our leaders, our smallest to our greatest. He wants us to be sold out like Hosea so that no matter how many times someone leaves the church, WE don't shun them and WE don't stop talking to them or loving them. He wants us to continue to speak the Word of life and redemption over them, after all, if it wasn't for God's grace and mercy, our sins and iniquity would be exposed. None is perfect except our Savior.
What should you take from this? God is constant. His word is true. That means if we are wrestling with something then there is a lesson and a blessing in it. If God promised you that you would see your family saved then why have you stopped inviting them to church? Why have you grown tired of forgiving and of sharing the Word of God? Why have you stopped praying? If God promised you that you would own a business then why have you given up? If God told you to preach the Word and be instant in season and out then why have you stopped studying? If God told you that you were part of a body, then why is it okay for you to move forward without your legs or arms? If God told you that you were an evangelist then why have you stopped fishing? If God called you out of darkness then why aren't you doing everything within your power to help reconcile others to Christ? If God delivered you from your fall and your backslidden condition when you were sinking to rise no more then why for heaven's sake would you watch your brother or sister drowning and not lend a hand; why wouldn't you reach out to restore?
God's word reveals that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Most of us wouldn't have lived out Hosea's experience to serve as a warning and a lesson to God's people. Hosea suffered. His life was messy. His experience was grueling and difficult. Yet out of Hosea's sacrifice came a message of how far God's love would reach, and just how fierce God's love for His people really is.
Today reflect on what you have been going through and ask yourself if this is an opportunity for God to be glorified because of your efforts to reconcile others. While you are going through the devil just might mean it for bad, but know and trust that God is working it for your good because greater is He that is within me than he that is within the world.
Fast forward now to 2012. Our Bishop prophesied at the beginning of this year that this is our year to experience governance, order and rulership. It is our time for God to put some things into our hands and to set our lives in order, yet for many of us this new season of our lives has brought us to a Hosea like place. God has been dealing with me on this for months and I am only able to write this morning.
God has revealed that so many of His people are wrestling with the enemy. People are dealing with Gomer situations because they are prostituting the gifts of God. People are refusing to come to the alter and to seek God, but they can't because of the rift they feel is between them the people of God, the leadership of God and God himself. People are wrestling with addictions, with loneliness, with false doctrine, with hard heartedness, with hatred, with demonic forces and all of this is leaving them in a dry and desolate place where they cannot feel the Lord.
God has told me that this is a time to learn. The lesson you ask? That lesson is found in the love story of Hosea and Gomer. Yes, I said love story. Hosea loved Gomer and every time she would stray, he would find her and redeem her. And although their relationship was used by God to express the struggle that the Children of Israel went through--constantly pursuing false gods--the story also shows us God's unrelenting love because of His covenant with His people. No matter how Israel played the harlot, God's love found her and redeemed her each time. That's love. How many of us are up to the challenge? It's not pretty. It's not convenient. It's not comfortable. It's not easy. It can be a lonely place.
How does all of this relate to the words of our Bishop? God's word is true. This is our year for rulership, governance and order. However, this is not our year for forgetting the body and forsaking the reason why God has chosen to move us into a more deeper relationship with Him. I believe that we are experiencing this Hosea like place so that we remember the people of God and so that we use whatever resources that He blesses us with to give the word of redemtion and reconsiliation to the people. What we have been struggling with and what we have been experiencing is only a light example of what our community is struggling with and what our children are going through. God wants us to use our own experiences as a way to see how He is longing to redeem our community, our children, our mothers, fathers, our school teachers, our police officers, our leaders, our smallest to our greatest. He wants us to be sold out like Hosea so that no matter how many times someone leaves the church, WE don't shun them and WE don't stop talking to them or loving them. He wants us to continue to speak the Word of life and redemption over them, after all, if it wasn't for God's grace and mercy, our sins and iniquity would be exposed. None is perfect except our Savior.
What should you take from this? God is constant. His word is true. That means if we are wrestling with something then there is a lesson and a blessing in it. If God promised you that you would see your family saved then why have you stopped inviting them to church? Why have you grown tired of forgiving and of sharing the Word of God? Why have you stopped praying? If God promised you that you would own a business then why have you given up? If God told you to preach the Word and be instant in season and out then why have you stopped studying? If God told you that you were part of a body, then why is it okay for you to move forward without your legs or arms? If God told you that you were an evangelist then why have you stopped fishing? If God called you out of darkness then why aren't you doing everything within your power to help reconcile others to Christ? If God delivered you from your fall and your backslidden condition when you were sinking to rise no more then why for heaven's sake would you watch your brother or sister drowning and not lend a hand; why wouldn't you reach out to restore?
God's word reveals that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Most of us wouldn't have lived out Hosea's experience to serve as a warning and a lesson to God's people. Hosea suffered. His life was messy. His experience was grueling and difficult. Yet out of Hosea's sacrifice came a message of how far God's love would reach, and just how fierce God's love for His people really is.
Today reflect on what you have been going through and ask yourself if this is an opportunity for God to be glorified because of your efforts to reconcile others. While you are going through the devil just might mean it for bad, but know and trust that God is working it for your good because greater is He that is within me than he that is within the world.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
All Roar and No Might
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
It is interesting to me that this passage of scripture describes Satan as a "roaring" lion that walks back and forth looking for prey. I'm no zoologist, but documentaries I've seen show that lions are very quiet when they are hungry and hunting. My limited research stated that lions do not roar when hunting unless they feel that the prey is too much for them to handle. In other words, the lion knows that he's out matched so he tries to call for backup.
That information makes me think of this scripture in a totally different way. Just because a lion is pursuing you doesn't mean that you should be intimidated. As a matter of fact lions seek prey that's just what they do--that's their job. By contrast, my job then is to make it my priority to remain formidable by staying alert and nimble by being watchful so that the lion continues to just roar and not attack. As long as the lion is roaring he knows I'm too much for him to handle.
The lion may also believe that his roar can intimidate me into giving up, but it's too late since I now recognize his attack--the sound, the smell and the sight of it. God is so very merciful and He gives us so insight and warning. The word remains a lamp and a guide. As long as I seek God first, look to the hills and keep my faith and trust trained on Him He will keep me protected and at peace.
Remember today that the enemy wants to steal, kill and to destroy. But we are able to combat the enemy's attacks by being full of the Word. The enemy can't attack you as long as you remain in God's protection.
It is interesting to me that this passage of scripture describes Satan as a "roaring" lion that walks back and forth looking for prey. I'm no zoologist, but documentaries I've seen show that lions are very quiet when they are hungry and hunting. My limited research stated that lions do not roar when hunting unless they feel that the prey is too much for them to handle. In other words, the lion knows that he's out matched so he tries to call for backup.
That information makes me think of this scripture in a totally different way. Just because a lion is pursuing you doesn't mean that you should be intimidated. As a matter of fact lions seek prey that's just what they do--that's their job. By contrast, my job then is to make it my priority to remain formidable by staying alert and nimble by being watchful so that the lion continues to just roar and not attack. As long as the lion is roaring he knows I'm too much for him to handle.
The lion may also believe that his roar can intimidate me into giving up, but it's too late since I now recognize his attack--the sound, the smell and the sight of it. God is so very merciful and He gives us so insight and warning. The word remains a lamp and a guide. As long as I seek God first, look to the hills and keep my faith and trust trained on Him He will keep me protected and at peace.
Remember today that the enemy wants to steal, kill and to destroy. But we are able to combat the enemy's attacks by being full of the Word. The enemy can't attack you as long as you remain in God's protection.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
An Exclusively Inclusive Host
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23.
I think about all of the times I've hosted something at my home and I invited as many people as I could handle. My husband always gets on me about inviting so many people over. I love inviting people over to me the more the merrier. It reminds me of a time when I was homeless and I had no one and no where to go and people showed me kindness and invited me in to dinner. I recall the joy at being a part of the fellowship. It also reminds me that there are those who are regularly left out and purposefully not invited. I've seen this happening on my job recently. An event will be planned and then the whispering and the game of keep away begins because there is a group that doesn't like someone so they don't want to alert that person about the event. I'm always hurt and perplexed by this kind of behavior. No one wants to be excluded so why do people enjoy excluding others?
I'm reminded of this scripture because the Lord of this house went through great pains to set up an event and to invite those for whom the event was prepared for only to learn that none of those individuals were able to attend. As a host when you prepare dinner you want to be able to share it. It brings joy to the heart to share and care.
This host thought about all of the work and dedication that he put into his dinner. He thought about how his regular guests simply flaked out on him and he thought to himself that there were some people who would appreciate all the trouble he'd gone through. He decided to invite total strangers who may have been poor or disabled. The may have been homeless and alone. Whatever the case he invited as many as he could handle so thT they could enjoy the bounty that he had prepared.
Commentaries reveal that this passage of scripture is a parable about how the Jews rejected Christ and how Christ then extended the good news and the opportunity of salvation to the Gentiles. But more practically to me it's just about making sure as Christians that we remember to extend the invitation of Christ to everyone. There is no one in my life that I wouldn't want to tell about the goodness of Jesus and to share the fact that He saves to the utmost. I want everyone to know. As we go into this holiday season repeating that Jesus is the reason I hope we are not playing keep away with the gospel. I hope we are not excluding people because we don't "like" them. I hope we we
are open to share and to experience the joy of sharing Christ.
I'm so glad Jesus compelled me. Have you compelled someone today?
I think about all of the times I've hosted something at my home and I invited as many people as I could handle. My husband always gets on me about inviting so many people over. I love inviting people over to me the more the merrier. It reminds me of a time when I was homeless and I had no one and no where to go and people showed me kindness and invited me in to dinner. I recall the joy at being a part of the fellowship. It also reminds me that there are those who are regularly left out and purposefully not invited. I've seen this happening on my job recently. An event will be planned and then the whispering and the game of keep away begins because there is a group that doesn't like someone so they don't want to alert that person about the event. I'm always hurt and perplexed by this kind of behavior. No one wants to be excluded so why do people enjoy excluding others?
I'm reminded of this scripture because the Lord of this house went through great pains to set up an event and to invite those for whom the event was prepared for only to learn that none of those individuals were able to attend. As a host when you prepare dinner you want to be able to share it. It brings joy to the heart to share and care.
This host thought about all of the work and dedication that he put into his dinner. He thought about how his regular guests simply flaked out on him and he thought to himself that there were some people who would appreciate all the trouble he'd gone through. He decided to invite total strangers who may have been poor or disabled. The may have been homeless and alone. Whatever the case he invited as many as he could handle so thT they could enjoy the bounty that he had prepared.
Commentaries reveal that this passage of scripture is a parable about how the Jews rejected Christ and how Christ then extended the good news and the opportunity of salvation to the Gentiles. But more practically to me it's just about making sure as Christians that we remember to extend the invitation of Christ to everyone. There is no one in my life that I wouldn't want to tell about the goodness of Jesus and to share the fact that He saves to the utmost. I want everyone to know. As we go into this holiday season repeating that Jesus is the reason I hope we are not playing keep away with the gospel. I hope we are not excluding people because we don't "like" them. I hope we we
are open to share and to experience the joy of sharing Christ.
I'm so glad Jesus compelled me. Have you compelled someone today?
Monday, December 5, 2011
We all have issues. Will we seek to touch Him?
Luke 8:41-48 reads: 41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: 42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. 43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
This unnamed woman, like all of us today, had an issue. It was a struggle that she had been burdened with for 12 years. It was so much of a burden that she spent all of the means that she had seeking advice and treatment from doctors, who took her money but who could not bring her into a better state. Her issue isolated her because the tradition of her time dictated that she keep herself away from others as she was considered unclean. As modern day Christians we all have issues that have the potential to isolate us from others in some kind of way. If we are having money problems then we isolate ourselves because maybe we feel like we should know better. If we have drug, food, sex or other addictions we can become isolated because of the shame and guilt associated with these issues and as a result we toil and suffer under the lies of the enemy. If we harbor unforgiveness, negative emotions or refuse to admit that we have entertained or been influenced by demonic forces we stand the chance of having issues that can keep us separated from the body.
This woman got to a place after asking around, seeking expertise in others and using all of her resources, she got to a place of desperation. She desperately needed a resolution-not a patch or a temporary fix. Her process is a roadmap for our deliverance. Her desperation drove her to exploration. That exploration brought about a revelation and that revelation compelled manifestation from the God of creation. In other words when we get so desperate for a resolution and not just a fix we will seek out the savior and we will press our way to meet up with Him for a divine appointment.
When Jesus asked who touched me, of course He knew who touched Him. The question was for the woman. Jesus was letting her know that her process had compelled a response out of Him. He was also letting her know that what she did was alright and it was okay for her to bring her situation into the light. He is saying the same thing to us today. We have to bring our issues into the light for exposure for our own sake as well as for the sake of others who may be struggling with the same thing. This woman was healed and made whole. She was forgiven and set free from years of torment and anguish in mere moments. All because she dared to touch the Master.
Take your issue to the Master today.
This unnamed woman, like all of us today, had an issue. It was a struggle that she had been burdened with for 12 years. It was so much of a burden that she spent all of the means that she had seeking advice and treatment from doctors, who took her money but who could not bring her into a better state. Her issue isolated her because the tradition of her time dictated that she keep herself away from others as she was considered unclean. As modern day Christians we all have issues that have the potential to isolate us from others in some kind of way. If we are having money problems then we isolate ourselves because maybe we feel like we should know better. If we have drug, food, sex or other addictions we can become isolated because of the shame and guilt associated with these issues and as a result we toil and suffer under the lies of the enemy. If we harbor unforgiveness, negative emotions or refuse to admit that we have entertained or been influenced by demonic forces we stand the chance of having issues that can keep us separated from the body.
This woman got to a place after asking around, seeking expertise in others and using all of her resources, she got to a place of desperation. She desperately needed a resolution-not a patch or a temporary fix. Her process is a roadmap for our deliverance. Her desperation drove her to exploration. That exploration brought about a revelation and that revelation compelled manifestation from the God of creation. In other words when we get so desperate for a resolution and not just a fix we will seek out the savior and we will press our way to meet up with Him for a divine appointment.
When Jesus asked who touched me, of course He knew who touched Him. The question was for the woman. Jesus was letting her know that her process had compelled a response out of Him. He was also letting her know that what she did was alright and it was okay for her to bring her situation into the light. He is saying the same thing to us today. We have to bring our issues into the light for exposure for our own sake as well as for the sake of others who may be struggling with the same thing. This woman was healed and made whole. She was forgiven and set free from years of torment and anguish in mere moments. All because she dared to touch the Master.
Take your issue to the Master today.
Friday, October 7, 2011
The Reproductive System
If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Mathew 5:2315Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Matthew 18:15The Word of the Lord came to me this morning so clearly. I have been praying and seeking God asking Him to expose. There are times when we get to a place and we are tired of being tired and sick of being sick. I started asking God to expose because I'm ready to move forward. This is what He spoke to me based upon the three scriptures above.
God said our focus has too long been on production instead of reproduction. As Christians God blesses us with gifts, spiritual gifts, talents and skills needed to build His Kingdom. However, like the Master that gave out the talents, God wants us to use our gifts to reproduce something new. More specifically, what I'm explaining is that God wants others to be discipled and saved.
Before I began attending my church, I hadn't ever really been interested in graphic arts or desktop publishing. A need was exposed and God gifted me to be able to produce needed art communication for the ministry. But I'm hearing from God now that it is necessary and imperative for me to reproduce someone else who can do the job. Here's where it gets interesting and I'll get to the scriptures above in a moment.
What frequently happens is that when we experience some success in something we become comfortable and it's hard to let it go. Not only that but we begin to convince ourselves that we are the only ones who really know how to do the job, but in fact the job can be done by anyone whom God chooses, which is how you got it in the first place. We cannot be afraid to let something go. I can attest to this personally. To be transparent in my example, my fear has been that the job won't be done like I do it. God has shone me that it is good that it won't be done the way that I did it and so what. What matters is that the job gets done for the GLORY of the Lord.
So God told me this morning that there is a formula for being reproductive. It is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Here is how the formula is broken down:
1. Recognize who and whose you are. If my people, which are called by my name (We belong to God as we have been bought and paid for with the ultimate price);
2. Be broken. Would humble themselves. To be humble here calls back to the scripture that says we need to have a broken and a contrite spirit because to be broken before the Lord is to be open. Some of us see broken as a bad place, but God sees broken as the perfect place for Him to work in our lives. He can come into a broken place and work. He can fill the brokenness with His spirit. He can remove the broken pieces and replace them with joy.
3. Pray. This one is where God told me to stop and to take a look at the other scriptures. God wants us to enter in beyond the veil, but the fact is that many of us cannot pray. We cannot pray to God because we have unresolved issues with each other. Matthew 5:23 says if you remember--many of us straight out KNOW that there's an issue hanging in the air that is not resolved, but we keep trying to bring an offering to the alter and guess what? God keeps saying leave it here and go get right with your brother. God keeps saying, I can't hear you. You need to get right with your brother. But rather than get right with our brother we have perfected the art of looking like we gave our offering anyhow. We make a big production at the alter to cover up for our cowardice and disobedience. It takes a real man or a real woman of God to resolve, reconcile, repent, restore and revive when we've fallen into a place of disrepair with our brother or our sister. We have replaced prayer with play. Since God isn't hearing our prayer--since we have a form of godliness, but we're denying the power, since we refuse to obey the Word of God, then all we can do is play the game of church. All we can do is pretend with religion. God told me this morning that religion is not reproductive. It is self gratification and self satisfaction. It takes a relationship to reproduce!
4. Seek His Face. When you are dating you want face time with your boo. Talking on the phone is cool, sending love letters and text messages is fine, but you're not satisfied until you get in the presence of that other person. God is a jealous god and He wants your face time. He wants you to lay prostrate before Him. He wants your worship. He wants you to chase after Him. He wants to spend time with you. He wants you to want to be with Him. He wants you on bended knee. In order to develop a relationship with God we must seek His face.
5. Operate in God's PERFECT will. My Bishop often says, sometimes we read the Word so fast that we miss something. I have quoted read and reread this scripture time and time again and I didn't understand what God meant by turn from their wicked ways. I was laboring under the misunderstanding that perhaps we were doing something specific--you know the Pentecostal 3 (the 3 biggest sins are smoking, drinking and fornicating). And we begin to think that as long as I'm staying away from what I believe to be wickedness then He's not talking to me. But hold up. God didn't call out any specific person or sin in this scripture. He said MY PEOPLE and their wicked ways. God revealed to me that what the scripture is saying is that as a body we are operating outside of His perfect will for our lives and anything outside of God's perfect will is our wickedness. He wants us to turn from our own agendas and our desires and our own ways and our own whatever and turn to His perfect will. He wants us to stop observing and start discerning.
God has been very specific with the information that He has placed on my heart today. I hope that whoever reads this will take in that God wants us to move forward. We've spent a great deal of time preparing to do His will. Now He wants us to advance His will for His GLORY! We are not babies in the Word any longer. God is looking for someone to prophesy not to speak from our cognitive powers of deductive reasoning. God's not about coulda woulda shoulda. When He speaks His Word does not return void. The Word is certain and it is sure. The prophetic Word is not about predicting some one's future. God's not into that. The prophetic Word comes to encourage, to admonish, to correct or to provide information that we need from the Lord. It isn't meant to make folks feel any particular way. It is meant to engender reproduction. There is something in us that God wants to marry and impregnate so that His will can be born out of us as a whole body.
Be encouraged today knowing that God is interested in your reproductive potential as much as He is interested in your productive ability. He gave you your gifts. Now ask Him why? What good would it be for a man to gain the whole word and to lose His own soul? What good would it be for us to have all of the ability to sing, dance, prophesy, encourage, preach, teach, reach and never use those giftings to take back the Kingdom by force! God has set up a divine appointment for healing, but we must adopt the reproductive system in order for that healing to take place. God wants to heal the land, but we are standing in the way. We are hindering our own healing. Know who you are, become broken, go beyond the veil, get into His presence, prefer His perfect will and He will hear us and heal the land.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
You "Should" Feel Used
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. St. John 9:4.
I was talking with someone a few days ago and I found myself thinking that there are situations where people don't mind "using" you. Only the using carries a negative connotation because inside we may feel like that person doesn't care for us yet at the same time they don't mind exploiting us for their own benefit or purposes. We'll leave church folks out of this discussion!
After pondering this for a while, God spoke to me and asked me How much of your life have you really given to me? Seriously. We complain about being used because we don't want to feel like we've been taken advantage of or we don't want someone to get us to do something when we don't like them or we think that they don't like us, but in fact only what we do for Christ will last.
This gave me a totally different perspective. As a matter of fact it reminded me of a vision I had when I was seven years old. At that young age, I imagined God having a tool belt and that I was in it. I imagined that He would take me out and use me and that became my life's prayer and purpose. People may believe that they are using, misusing or abusing you, but change your perspective. When you move or remove your will and align with God's will you will change your whole paradigm. We get caught up in the mistaken belief that how someone feels or doesn't feel about us for that matter will affect our ability to enter heaven and avoid hell.
People's attitudes, ill will toward you, hateration, or whatever you want to call it or think about it should never even enter your mind when it comes to doing the will of God. From my new vantage point, it doesn't matter what or how a person says what they say--sometimes we feel that Christianity gives us a license to be rude instead of careful to treat God's people with grace and finesse and just how we want to be treated--that's another blog. From my new vantage point, my goal is to be used up for the rest of my life and to be found doing God's will; to be found being about my Father's business.
Be encouraged today knowing that God is using you. If you think of it that way, you won't mind being used at all. Do what you do the way you do it for Christ for the remainder of your life so that you will have an eternal reward with our heavenly Father.
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