As we were in praise and worship tonight singing "Let it Rain, Let it rain, open the floodgates of Heaven" it occurred to me that typically I personally sing this sing talking about my open life. Thinking "God pour out your Spirit in my life, open the flood gates of Heaven in my life." It occurred to me, especially in the context of revival that the "Let it rain" part of the song is for the Church, but when the floodgates of Heaven are opened, our city, region, nation and world will be changed.
In the natural sense, when the rain waters come down too hard and fast, or slow and over an extended time, floodgates are opened to lower the water level. When the flood gates are opened, the land down from it is flooded. Depending on how long and wide the flood gates are opened, makes a difference on the regions that get flooded. It also matters if the towns down river from the flood gates have set up sandbags and levees to deter the water.
As I let this sink down in my soul, I couldn't help but pray and sing a little louder that God would send the rain. That the church would be so saturated that as the doors of the Church opened as people left, the floodgates of Heaven would be opened over this region and that lives would be changed.
Lives will be changed, not because someone was invited to church or to a powerful service, but because the Christian's leaving the building would be so full of God, that Heaven would be flowing in and through them to the lives of all they come in contact. that the Spirit would overtake those, so that they would also be filled and overflowing with the Spirit of God, and so forth until this region is saturated, completely consumed with the flood of the flow of the Holy Spirit in and through us. As the region is filled, the flood would continue on until the Spirit is free, flow in in every region under the sun.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
The Journey of Grace
There is a song by Big Daddy Weave called "I am Redeemed". It is a powerful song that has ministered to me every time I heard it over the past few months. Wednesday, driving in my car, I had a revelation that I really am redeemed, it was if Christ was sitting in the car with me saying "Child, life up your head" and "stop fighting a fight that's already been won." The song says:
Over the past year, I have shared bits and pieces of my testimony as I share about my job and the road that lead me there, and brought me to where I am now. I know, that as moving as it can be for others, I barely scratch the surface of what God has done in my life. I also know deep inside, that part of me doesn't share it all because, as this song says:
I realized, listening to this song today that I have been
trying to fight a battle that was already won. I am not the person that
I used to be. And there is no battle I have to fight to overcome it,
because the day I accepted Christ into my life, the battle was one. I
became a new creature. The old things passed away.
There are times (when I have no time) that I feel led to write all that God has done in my life. "The Path of Grace", as I know that it is only by God's grace I am even alive. Then I reason with myself that it is not all my story to tell and that I am certainly not where I need to be. I have no "right to share" because I have not arrived.
I continue to share as I feel led, with individuals and groups that can benefit from the reminder that regardless of where you have been, what you have done, or what others think and say about you, if you have accepted Christ, you are a new creation.I share to remind people that, people can change if given the encouragement and direction.
Listening to the words of this song, maybe it is really the Journey to Grace. It is the lessons that I am really learning along the way that help others along in their journey. The path before me is God's Grace, the path behind me has been the Journey to stay on it.am not who I used to be, I am redeemed.
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet
Over the past year, I have shared bits and pieces of my testimony as I share about my job and the road that lead me there, and brought me to where I am now. I know, that as moving as it can be for others, I barely scratch the surface of what God has done in my life. I also know deep inside, that part of me doesn't share it all because, as this song says:
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"
There are times (when I have no time) that I feel led to write all that God has done in my life. "The Path of Grace", as I know that it is only by God's grace I am even alive. Then I reason with myself that it is not all my story to tell and that I am certainly not where I need to be. I have no "right to share" because I have not arrived.
I continue to share as I feel led, with individuals and groups that can benefit from the reminder that regardless of where you have been, what you have done, or what others think and say about you, if you have accepted Christ, you are a new creation.I share to remind people that, people can change if given the encouragement and direction.
I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed
Listening to the words of this song, maybe it is really the Journey to Grace. It is the lessons that I am really learning along the way that help others along in their journey. The path before me is God's Grace, the path behind me has been the Journey to stay on it.am not who I used to be, I am redeemed.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Walking on the promises of God
Genesis9:13-16 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The
rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the
everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh
that is on the earth.
Friday as I was driving home from Cassville I encountered a really awesome sight. Then as quickly as it was there, it was gone. As I topped at hill coming down Hwy W out of Wheaton, MO I saw the biggest, fattest rainbow I have ever seen. I reached for my phone to take a picture, drove down in the valley, and then it was gone and the rain was pouring down.
I quickly thought, it is in faith that we stand on the promises that God has spelled out for us in His Word. I have heard believers and nonbelievers alike stand on God's promise to not destroy the world through flood. They have faith as they see the rainbow of this covenant, even though they may not be followers of Christ.
Yet, just as I moved towards that promise, and then was quickly overtaken by the storm as the sign of that promise faded. How many times do we see the promise in sight, but get so caught up in the storm that we let go of the promise. We know the promises of God, memorized them as children, but we fail to walk in them because of the storm surrounding us. We must come to the point, that regardless of what we see, we stand on the promises of God.
I am reminded of the words of an old hymn by R. Kelso Carter
Standing on the promises I cannot fall, listening every moment to the Spirit's call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, standing on the promises of God.
It is time that as Christians that we stop being pushed around by the storms of this world and stand on the promises of God. That we not only stand on the promises, with a head knowledge of what the word says, but that we walk them out knowing that what God has promised is ours to have, it was given to us completely at the resurrection of Christ. We can rest in that promise.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Wait on the Lord
Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalms 27:14 (NKJV)
Our society has taught us that we should expect things immediately. Three minutes for a meal for the family through a drive through is the goal for most chains. Thirty minutes to have a pizza prepared, cooked and delivered. Accelerated degrees to obtain your masters and bachelors at the same time or getting your bachelors in a shorter period, quick communication with texts, face time, instant messaging and quicker Christianity.
However, that is not the way of God. The word wait is mentioned 144 times in the Bible. People waited on the same promises of God for seventy years. We give up if it is not immediate. Jacob wrestled with the Angel of God for an answer through the night. We grow weary of after five minutes of prayer.
Preachers apologize if the service goes past an hour and a half. People walked for days to catch a glimpse of Jesus, waiting without food to hear him speak. I can remember being in services where God moved, and the four hours we were there seemed like five minutes.
When you are seeking God, it can not be rushed. We must wait on Him.
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalms 27:14 (NKJV)
Our society has taught us that we should expect things immediately. Three minutes for a meal for the family through a drive through is the goal for most chains. Thirty minutes to have a pizza prepared, cooked and delivered. Accelerated degrees to obtain your masters and bachelors at the same time or getting your bachelors in a shorter period, quick communication with texts, face time, instant messaging and quicker Christianity.
However, that is not the way of God. The word wait is mentioned 144 times in the Bible. People waited on the same promises of God for seventy years. We give up if it is not immediate. Jacob wrestled with the Angel of God for an answer through the night. We grow weary of after five minutes of prayer.
Preachers apologize if the service goes past an hour and a half. People walked for days to catch a glimpse of Jesus, waiting without food to hear him speak. I can remember being in services where God moved, and the four hours we were there seemed like five minutes.
When you are seeking God, it can not be rushed. We must wait on Him.
In the waiting....
I was reminded today of a song by Greg Long that came out around the time of 9/11 called In the Waiting. It says:
Pain
The gift nobody longs for, still it comes
And somehow leaves us stronger
When it's gone away
Pray
I try and pray for Your will to be done
But I confess it's never fast enough for me
It seems
the hardest part is waiting on You
When what I really want
Is just to see Your hand move
(Chorus)
I want a peace beyond my understanding
I want to feel it fall like rain
In the middle of my hurting
I want to feel Your arms as they surround me
And let me know that it's okay
To be here in this place
Resting in the peace that only comes
In the waiting
Time
Time to let it go and just believe
Trusting in what no one else but You can see
Free
Freedom from the fears that close me in
When I can't get beyond where I have been
But then again
The silence doesn't mean that I'm alone
As long as I can hear
That I am still Your own
I used to sing that song so much at church, as I knew that I was sitting in the waiting. As I re-read Answered Prayers from 2008, I realized how quickly time can fly and that God truly does give us peace in the waiting when we let it go and just believe. I have been trusting for my husbands salvation since 2000. I am still holding out for that answered prayer.
There was a message preached back in Sept 2000 right before we moved out of Lee's Summit, to this date it stays with me when I feel like giving up. It was a service I really didn't even want to be in. My children wanted to be in church, so I had dragged myself there, almost daring God to move me. It had been a really rough month, my best friend from childhood had died after a short stint in the Children's Hospital leaving behind three children. I just felt alone.
The story was of David, from I Samuel 30:1-19 and into II Samuel 2:4. David had been in battle and he and his men came back to find Ziklag destroyed, women and children gone. They wept and actually talked about killing David blaming him for the situation. David however strengthened himself in the Lord. God told him to pursue the enemy and that he would overtake them and recover everything. He did, they won. The Philistines battled Israel. Saul was killed. David grieved for Saul and then was anointed King.
The preacher made the point that David had already been anointed by Samuel to be the next king. He had his promise, but in Ziklag he faced destruction. It would have been easy to give up, but he didn't. Three days later he received his promise being appointed into his anointing as King. The preacher made this statement that has always been with me "Your promise is always closer than Satan wants you to believe."
Sometimes, God has given me little glimpses of that promise over the years, but next month it will be 12 years since I really started seeking God for that promise. Other times, and more often, a preacher will make a comment that brings flooding back that message that has kept me going all these years. I will be at that breaking point, broken before God crying out for it to stop. Then, I have that little thought, if you give up now, what if your promise was to come tomorrow. Sometimes it may take several days for me to be strengthened, but God does always come through.
I would love for my promise to come in three days, as David's did, or for it to even have been the years that went between his anointing and appointing. But I know that God is faithful to His promise and it will not return void. Joshua and Caleb waited 45 years for their promise, I will just hold on to my promise and look for the lessons God has In the Waiting.
Pain
The gift nobody longs for, still it comes
And somehow leaves us stronger
When it's gone away
Pray
I try and pray for Your will to be done
But I confess it's never fast enough for me
It seems
the hardest part is waiting on You
When what I really want
Is just to see Your hand move
(Chorus)
I want a peace beyond my understanding
I want to feel it fall like rain
In the middle of my hurting
I want to feel Your arms as they surround me
And let me know that it's okay
To be here in this place
Resting in the peace that only comes
In the waiting
Time
Time to let it go and just believe
Trusting in what no one else but You can see
Free
Freedom from the fears that close me in
When I can't get beyond where I have been
But then again
The silence doesn't mean that I'm alone
As long as I can hear
That I am still Your own
I used to sing that song so much at church, as I knew that I was sitting in the waiting. As I re-read Answered Prayers from 2008, I realized how quickly time can fly and that God truly does give us peace in the waiting when we let it go and just believe. I have been trusting for my husbands salvation since 2000. I am still holding out for that answered prayer.
There was a message preached back in Sept 2000 right before we moved out of Lee's Summit, to this date it stays with me when I feel like giving up. It was a service I really didn't even want to be in. My children wanted to be in church, so I had dragged myself there, almost daring God to move me. It had been a really rough month, my best friend from childhood had died after a short stint in the Children's Hospital leaving behind three children. I just felt alone.
The story was of David, from I Samuel 30:1-19 and into II Samuel 2:4. David had been in battle and he and his men came back to find Ziklag destroyed, women and children gone. They wept and actually talked about killing David blaming him for the situation. David however strengthened himself in the Lord. God told him to pursue the enemy and that he would overtake them and recover everything. He did, they won. The Philistines battled Israel. Saul was killed. David grieved for Saul and then was anointed King.
The preacher made the point that David had already been anointed by Samuel to be the next king. He had his promise, but in Ziklag he faced destruction. It would have been easy to give up, but he didn't. Three days later he received his promise being appointed into his anointing as King. The preacher made this statement that has always been with me "Your promise is always closer than Satan wants you to believe."
Sometimes, God has given me little glimpses of that promise over the years, but next month it will be 12 years since I really started seeking God for that promise. Other times, and more often, a preacher will make a comment that brings flooding back that message that has kept me going all these years. I will be at that breaking point, broken before God crying out for it to stop. Then, I have that little thought, if you give up now, what if your promise was to come tomorrow. Sometimes it may take several days for me to be strengthened, but God does always come through.
I would love for my promise to come in three days, as David's did, or for it to even have been the years that went between his anointing and appointing. But I know that God is faithful to His promise and it will not return void. Joshua and Caleb waited 45 years for their promise, I will just hold on to my promise and look for the lessons God has In the Waiting.
Has given...
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 2 Peter 1:2-3
Tonight, the word HAS stuck out as I read this scripture. Has given is a present perfect verb tense indicating that God gave it in the past and we still currently possess what was given. So if God has given us things, why do we not have them? We must grow in our knowledge of Christ. As we grow in our knowledge of God, we are able to understand all the gifts that he has already given us and can use those gifts to further His kingdom.
So what has God given to those who follow and obey Him, according to New Testament scriptures:
Tonight, the word HAS stuck out as I read this scripture. Has given is a present perfect verb tense indicating that God gave it in the past and we still currently possess what was given. So if God has given us things, why do we not have them? We must grow in our knowledge of Christ. As we grow in our knowledge of God, we are able to understand all the gifts that he has already given us and can use those gifts to further His kingdom.
So what has God given to those who follow and obey Him, according to New Testament scriptures:
- He has given us eternal life
- I John 5:11
- He has given the Holy Spirit
- Acts 5:32, I John 3:24, I John 4:13
- He has given assurance that there will be a judgement day
- Acts 17:31
- He has given us the spirit of reconciliation (to reconcile others to Him and the Body)
- II Cor. 5:18
- He has given us authority to edify (instruct and lift up)
- II Cor. 13:10
- He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (conforming to the laws and wishes of God)
- II Peter 1:3
- He has given us an understanding that we would know Him
- I John 5:20
- I have eternal life, Christ died that I would have it.
- I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me, Christ ascended to Heaven so He might come and dwell on the inside of believers.
- I have assurance that one day I will give account for my actions, Christ was raised from the dead.
- I have the ability to reconcile others to Christ and each other, God reconciled me to Him through Christ Jesus.
- I have the ability to edify others and not tear other down, Christ does not want His body destroyed.
- I have life and godliness, God and was called by his glory and virtue.
- I have understanding, it continues to grow as I learn more of God and truth.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Don't be weary
King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
Jeremiah 12:5 "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the jungle of the Jordan?"
I realized today as I read this scripture, that the trials we face, have little to do with the earthly circumstance surrounding us. Instead, they have a lot more to do with the Kingdom purpose God is preparing us for.
When we are going through the midst of a trial, it can seem overwhelming and many times we ask God to rescue us from it. Reality though: if we grow weary from these trials that are meant to prepare us, how then can we move on to the deeper tasks before us?
If in times of peace and comfort we are weary with life, how then can God move us into the deeper things of the Kingdom. We must be content and full of God's life at all times, instead of allowing the weight of this world to bring us down.
When we persevere and God takes us through the running with those tasks that our skills are equal to, and through those tasks that challenge us, and when we learn to be content in times of peace and comfort, then we are then better prepared for the larger more difficult task that will take us deeper into things of Him. God will be able to take us into the Kingdom purpose He has for us.
I realized today as I read this scripture, that the trials we face, have little to do with the earthly circumstance surrounding us. Instead, they have a lot more to do with the Kingdom purpose God is preparing us for.
When we are going through the midst of a trial, it can seem overwhelming and many times we ask God to rescue us from it. Reality though: if we grow weary from these trials that are meant to prepare us, how then can we move on to the deeper tasks before us?
If in times of peace and comfort we are weary with life, how then can God move us into the deeper things of the Kingdom. We must be content and full of God's life at all times, instead of allowing the weight of this world to bring us down.
When we persevere and God takes us through the running with those tasks that our skills are equal to, and through those tasks that challenge us, and when we learn to be content in times of peace and comfort, then we are then better prepared for the larger more difficult task that will take us deeper into things of Him. God will be able to take us into the Kingdom purpose He has for us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)