Thursday, May 25, 2017
Light
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
Monday, May 22, 2017
Holiness
I read an interesting thing this morning in my YouVersion devotion, it's from Oswald Chambers' writings, the devotional is titled, "Peace, Life in the Spirit".
After a weekend of much Spiritual activity and meetings, I am pretty much always exhausted! This explained it to me a lot!
"Holiness is spiritual peace, but holiness is not quietness; holiness is the intensest spiritual activity."
It is a satisfied exhaustion on Monday mornings, but it is still a time I rest and regroup for the week ahead.
“What I am leaving with you is shalom — I am giving you my shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives. Don’t let yourselves be upset or frightened." John 14:27 (CJB)
After a weekend of much Spiritual activity and meetings, I am pretty much always exhausted! This explained it to me a lot!
"Holiness is spiritual peace, but holiness is not quietness; holiness is the intensest spiritual activity."
It is a satisfied exhaustion on Monday mornings, but it is still a time I rest and regroup for the week ahead.
“What I am leaving with you is shalom — I am giving you my shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives. Don’t let yourselves be upset or frightened." John 14:27 (CJB)
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Come Up Here!
Visualize this with me for a moment, we go to church, we praise God and lift our hearts, spirit, and soul to focus on Him, we hear the Pastor bring words of encouragement, teaching, and growth for us to hear and learn from. Then there is a moment after all of this when God has provided a banquet in the front of the sanctuary for our pleasure, for our health and well-being, for our nutrition, for our elevation to a higher level in Him when the speaker invites people to come for prayer....but 90% of the people politely reject His offer of ministry and gather their things and walk out....what is up with that!?
This can't be said of every church, I'm pretty sure....but many churches every Sunday, or maybe Wednesday, but sometime during the week, they have an opportunity for people to go up front and be prayed for.
I see this as a time when God is wanting to minister to His people, but the part I don't understand is why so few people take advantage of it? It's like people don't want more of God? or are they only afraid of what others will think of them for going up front for prayer?
Are we so afraid of man or what he might think that we turn our back on the special time that God is wanting to meet with us at the end of a service? Or are we in such a rush to get to our food (lunch) that we can't be bothered to be prayed for?
Do we not realize the "slime" we gather as we walk through the world daily and weekly that could be cleaned off of us at that prayer time. Do we not realize how we could be prepared for the battles we will be facing in the week ahead if we went and enjoyed the banquet the Lord has placed before us at prayer time every week? Do we really believe we don't need prayer? Do we really want to choose to walk through the battle without the extra strength, wisdom, and guidance that our Heavenly Father would provide if we met Him at the front of the church at prayer time?
I know we are able to pray by ourselves and receive each of the things listed above, but there is a special power in the prayer of the leadership that is over you. And there are times that you need an extra boost in your prayers. And there is a special blessing in the humility that you exhibit in wanting prayer from those over you. I'm sure you understand the concept that parents have a strength in their prayers for their children that others don't have, it is the same concept that the Pastor and the prayer warriors in your church have strength in prayer over you!
Come on up people, be hungry and not proud! ! Come up front, come meet your Heavenly Father! come receive prayer and be made whole, be made stronger, be de-slimed, be lifted to a higher level! Receive wisdom, receive guidance, receive health.
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Revelation 4:1
This can't be said of every church, I'm pretty sure....but many churches every Sunday, or maybe Wednesday, but sometime during the week, they have an opportunity for people to go up front and be prayed for.
I see this as a time when God is wanting to minister to His people, but the part I don't understand is why so few people take advantage of it? It's like people don't want more of God? or are they only afraid of what others will think of them for going up front for prayer?
Are we so afraid of man or what he might think that we turn our back on the special time that God is wanting to meet with us at the end of a service? Or are we in such a rush to get to our food (lunch) that we can't be bothered to be prayed for?
Do we not realize the "slime" we gather as we walk through the world daily and weekly that could be cleaned off of us at that prayer time. Do we not realize how we could be prepared for the battles we will be facing in the week ahead if we went and enjoyed the banquet the Lord has placed before us at prayer time every week? Do we really believe we don't need prayer? Do we really want to choose to walk through the battle without the extra strength, wisdom, and guidance that our Heavenly Father would provide if we met Him at the front of the church at prayer time?
I know we are able to pray by ourselves and receive each of the things listed above, but there is a special power in the prayer of the leadership that is over you. And there are times that you need an extra boost in your prayers. And there is a special blessing in the humility that you exhibit in wanting prayer from those over you. I'm sure you understand the concept that parents have a strength in their prayers for their children that others don't have, it is the same concept that the Pastor and the prayer warriors in your church have strength in prayer over you!
Come on up people, be hungry and not proud! ! Come up front, come meet your Heavenly Father! come receive prayer and be made whole, be made stronger, be de-slimed, be lifted to a higher level! Receive wisdom, receive guidance, receive health.
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Revelation 4:1
And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”
Revelation 11:12a
Monday, May 15, 2017
Drain The Swamp Of Self
Father,
I have a swamp within me, please help me drain it!
There is so much filth of offense, bitterness, distrust, hurt, self-pity, rejection, disappointment....on and on! I pull the plug and try to have it all drain away, but the drain becomes clogged and more things rain in!
I need Your help! Please, guide me into the complete forgiveness that will keep the drain clear and drain the swamp of bitterness and rejection, and help me grow into the complete humility that will stop the incoming flood of negative ideas and emotions from offense and self-pity and distrust!
I purpose to walk in Your "Dunamis"(Greek word meaning -might, power, marvelous works). I long for more of You and less of me! But I get in the way, time after time!
Guide me into Your Dunamis, Holy Spirit, let me flow in Your power and live in Your peace and joy and remove the filth from my own ways.
Please help me to drain the swamp of self.
I love You Father, thank You for loving me!
I have a swamp within me, please help me drain it!
There is so much filth of offense, bitterness, distrust, hurt, self-pity, rejection, disappointment....on and on! I pull the plug and try to have it all drain away, but the drain becomes clogged and more things rain in!
I need Your help! Please, guide me into the complete forgiveness that will keep the drain clear and drain the swamp of bitterness and rejection, and help me grow into the complete humility that will stop the incoming flood of negative ideas and emotions from offense and self-pity and distrust!
I purpose to walk in Your "Dunamis"(Greek word meaning -might, power, marvelous works). I long for more of You and less of me! But I get in the way, time after time!
Guide me into Your Dunamis, Holy Spirit, let me flow in Your power and live in Your peace and joy and remove the filth from my own ways.
Please help me to drain the swamp of self.
I love You Father, thank You for loving me!
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Honor Your Roots! Honor Your Heavenly Father!
(This is preaching to the choir!)
This morning I was reading in Haggai and I read some words that seemed to fit some of our thoughts in this new season, and I was cautioned to be aware that we need to always “Consider your ways!", why? because God told us too! The whole verse is "Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways!". And it even has an exclamation point!
How does this apply to this new season? Well, the whole set of verses is about not neglecting God's house. This is a season of people developing their confidence in what God wants them to do and in walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we are the Temple of God, but God still has a "house" that has been dedicated and consecrated to Him.
People have spent years gathering together to worship, teach and pray, focusing on our Heavenly Father, we cannot now begin to forget that because we are moving into our own more powerful walk that we can not maintain the gathering of the church body or the building.
If we desire God's blessing on our walk and our ministry, we need to be careful to always heed His voice, to always work to bring glory to His name and His Kingdom. We cannot neglect anything that carries His name to pursue a "new thing". We cannot neglect the body or the building that is His face and representative to the world. Do walk the new path, but don't forget to honor our roots, go to your community church, contribute your energy and finances to maintain the home body while you reach out to the future in your new path.
“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”
Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce.I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.”
This morning I was reading in Haggai and I read some words that seemed to fit some of our thoughts in this new season, and I was cautioned to be aware that we need to always “Consider your ways!", why? because God told us too! The whole verse is "Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways!". And it even has an exclamation point!
How does this apply to this new season? Well, the whole set of verses is about not neglecting God's house. This is a season of people developing their confidence in what God wants them to do and in walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we are the Temple of God, but God still has a "house" that has been dedicated and consecrated to Him.
People have spent years gathering together to worship, teach and pray, focusing on our Heavenly Father, we cannot now begin to forget that because we are moving into our own more powerful walk that we can not maintain the gathering of the church body or the building.
If we desire God's blessing on our walk and our ministry, we need to be careful to always heed His voice, to always work to bring glory to His name and His Kingdom. We cannot neglect anything that carries His name to pursue a "new thing". We cannot neglect the body or the building that is His face and representative to the world. Do walk the new path, but don't forget to honor our roots, go to your community church, contribute your energy and finances to maintain the home body while you reach out to the future in your new path.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce.I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.”
Haggai 1:4-11New American Standard Bible (NASB)
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