Whisper

This post is part of Lisa-Jo Baker‘s Five-Minute Friday, where we gather together to write for five minutes, unedited, on a given prompt for the week.  This week’s prompt was WHISPER.

Like Elijah, I often look for God to come to me in a visual sign or in a loud booming voice, but over the past few months I have really honed in on the still small whisper of His voice.  It moves me deeper in my relationship with Him.

I know that He has always been there, but I have to quiet myself enough to hear that voice.  In the past it has been long drives alone, where I have heard Him most clearly.  I think because after a while the music fades, and I am left in my thoughts, and when those have finally run out, He is able to have my undivided attention.

As I pressed in the the quiet, over the past few months, I have heard that whisper so clearly, calling me into a deeper relationship with Him.  Calling me in to steps of obedience and making the path ahead of me more visible. 

I realized it was because of the busyness in life, that I had allowed to surround me that His voice had been muffled.  Why had I needed visual signs or loud voices?  I had placed myself in the arena of life and surrounded myself with things that would block our normal conversation, distractions that kept me from focusing on His voice.  He desperately wanted my attention, and when I wouldn't slow and quiet myself He would shout above the noise, but there is nothing intimate about a shout.

Over the past few months, He has brought me back to that place of intimacy.  Now, I long for the quiet to surround me so that it is just Him and me.  He can whisper to my heart and I can receive.  What joy there is in that whisper.

I Kings 19:12  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Surrendered

Surrender is an action  verb (used with object) meaning to give (oneself) up, or  to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc.  Surrender is the hallmark of Christianity, and yet most of us really struggle with the idea of surrender, even though our walk with God started with it.  

When we live a surrendered life, God is able to work in and through us.  What Satan means to destroy us, God will use as a testimony.  I can’t say that I live a totally surrendered life.  There are times I get it right, and other times I fail miserably.    

The past three months have been a lesson for me in surrender.  May 23, 2014 I was unexpectedly let go from my job.  I was told one thing, I suspected another but when I filed for unemployment I was given a completely surprising and different story.  

What I knew, was that God had placed me in the position that I held.  Serving the residents and empowering them to change their lives, was a God given passion. The week following my dismissal, I realized how much of my life was consumed with work.  For fifteen years, even when on vacation I was always available to those I served.  I didn’t know what I was suppose to do.  

Then the negative messages set in.  I started questioning who I was and what I was doing.  I started pressing in to God, I loved the time in His presence.  Daily seeking Him and hearing him.  The words that were spoken over me encouraged me, and I realized they had started before these events.  God’s peace set in, I looked to Him for my identity.  

A few weeks later I learned more about my firing.  Every ounce of my flesh wanted to fight back, those who knew what was going one were angered and wanted to see me fight back too.  I sat down and wrote out my unemployment appeal, with plans to confront those who had made slanderous allegations against me.  Looking for a job when you have been fired isnt easy, my unemployment was being denied, and the finances were not coming in that we needed.

But then I heard God say no.  Don’t fight back.  I am your provider.  I gave  you your purpose and value.   I stood on the promises in His word, and rested in His peace.  My two page letter to unemployment was reduced to four sentences. My anger towards those who spoke and believed lies were turned into prayers.  The wait wasn’t always graceful, and sometimes it was going through the motions.  But God restored what was taken from me. Although it didn’t come in my timing or even as I thought it would.    I am still a work in progress, and still trying to see the next steps, I know that God has me and that living surrendered is worth it.

As I think about surrender,  two pictures kept coming to my mind.  Someone splashing wildly in the water, screaming for help. The lifeguard jumps in swims out and saves the person without fear.  The person is drowning.  But if you have ever been at a pool with children, there are a hundred other children acting the same way.    

Lifeguards are trained to spot someone in trouble.  The lifeguard is going to evacuate the pool, swim out to the person, and if the person is conscious, they will have the person calm down.  The person must surrender control for the lifeguard to safely get hold of them and pull them to safety.  If the person is wildly thrashing their arms, the lifeguard runs the risk of being pulled under also.

God is like a trained lifeguard.  We can’t pull him down, but our actions slow Him down and keep us captive in the situation.  He is not going to force Himself or His help upon us.   He gently says “give it to me”, but until we do, even though He can help us, He is limited by our actions.  He waits for us to totally surrender before he reaches in to save us.

Salvation is a total surrender - I know that I am a sinner and I need a savior.  I believe that the price Christ paid on the cross is bigger than anything I could have done, and that God’s grace will cover me.   When we make that decision, the surrender comes naturally.  I give up who I was and give myself to the influence of God.  This is why we see so many new Christians have such dramatic changes in their lifestyle.  They are surrendered.  They are totally God centered at that moment,their life laid before Him.

As we start to walk out our Christian life, we become more like the televised drowning victim, screaming out for help, wailing around our arms trying to save our self from the circumstances surrounding us.  In the heat of circumstances we easily forget that the grace that saved us is still there to empower us to live a surrendered life.  We forget that we don't have to do things alone that if we let Him, God still wants to take us through to bring us up to the next level.

A surrendered life is pictured in Galatians 2:20   I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.   A surrendered life, Christ lives through. It is Him, His Faith, His love that flows through us driving our actions and beliefs.

We can tell that we are not living a surrendered life if we are:

1) Trying to manipulate to get things our way - Jacob and Esau, Jacob and Laban, Abraham and Hagar

2) Trying to force our own agenda Matthew 23: 2-4 The scribes and Pharisees

3) Trying to be in control

4) Reacting negatively to criticism Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid.

5) We feel burdened Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The second picture that kept coming to mind is a police arrest, and it may just be a television perception, but I see three levels of surrender. All of these are mentioned in the bible.   The universal sign of surrender we raise our hands (Psalms 134:2).  The second the person on their knees, this is mentioned in Genesis 4:12, Ezra 9:5. Ephesians 3:14 The third, with the person laying prostrate (Deut. 9:25 and  II Chronicles 29:20).  It is not necessarily our physical appearance that God is looking at, but our heart because according to John 4:24 we are to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

So how can we live a surrendered life, how can we give ourselves up, and give in to the influence of God?   It is done moment by moment, circumstance by circumstance.  

First when we see ourselves responding in manipulation, force, control or negatively, we must stop immediately.  See we can stop those thoughts from coming to us, we can only stop how we respond.  II Corinthians 10:5  Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Then we must place our trust in God, the Great I Am.  We must expect Him to act, Matthew 19:26 says “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. The very word Impossible says “I’m possible.”    

It is easy to get discouraged when we look at circumstances, especially when it feels like nothing is happening but  I Peter 5:5 says Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.  We must wait on His time. Occupy your waiting with prayer, praise, God’s Word, service.  

Lastly we must obediently  follow God’s lead.  John 5:19  Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Realize that there are facets of God that we surrender to and that there are areas of our lives that we must surrender.  Jesus walked in perfect surrender, and we have the ability, through God’s grace to surrender our lives also.  We are a work in progress, and God knows that.  We are not a surprise to Him, when the enemy condemns you for your shortcomings, be encouraged that in our weakness Christ is made strong.

When we surrender, there are times that it may seem like we have lost everything.  The very things that we think we want or need, God may ask us to set aside, but what we lose is nothing compared what we gain through Christ.   Philippians 3:8 But even beyond that, I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for him, but what I lost I think of as sewer trash, so that I might gain Christ.  A surrendered life will always leave us fulfilled in the long run as we walk in his supernatural power and grace.

Blessings are Closer

I was recently reminded of a Biblical Life Lesson that has carried me since October 6, 2001.  The message was preached by James Payne a visiting preacher at Church on the Rock in Lee's Summit. 

It starts in I Samuel 16, David is anointed by Samuel and the spirit of the Lord comes on David from that point. He is this little shepherd boy minding his own business.  He is selected over his older brothers and he was given a dream of being king of Israel because of his heart for God. David goes back to the fields, time passes.  

David kills Goliath and wins favor with Saul, he develops a relationship with Jonathan the kings son, is favored by Israel.  Then David is hated by King Saul and he seeks to kill David.  David flees for his life, Saul chases leaving a trail of destruction in David's path because he is so angry at those who help David. David tries to show Saul that he does not seek to harm his king, by getting close enough to kill the king, but sparing the king’s life. David eventually flees to the land of the Philistines.

Skip forward to I Samuel 30 which is where James Payne message started. Fifteen years pass for this man who didn't ask for it but was given the dream of being King of Israel.  Things have not really went that well for “God’s chosen”. For every sign of favor, he has been met with hatred and fear of death by the king he will one day replace.  He fights battles against giants, warriors, and the kings army after being anointed.  He has men who stay by his side, but that really want him to just step into his anointing.

Then David comes to Ziklag, “a place of regret” with his army. All of the children, women, and possessions including David's were taken captive and the city had been burned to the ground. The people begin to lift their voices and weep until that had "no more power to weep." The people he was with turned against him wanting to stone him in their grief.

David turned to the Lord and strengthened himself. He then asked God what he should do about the situation, and God say that he should pursue them and overtake them and he would recover all. A few scriptures later, David and a fraction of his men have recovered everything – the women, the children, and the spoils that were taken. They danced and celebrated.  A few days later they learn that King Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle. David mourns their death, and six days from losing everything he is anointed as King of Judah (II Samuel 2) and a few battles later as King of Israel (II Samuel 5).

I looked back at my notes from James Payne’s message.  It  had a seven points:

1) When things are at their worst, God is at his best

2) Out of the ashes, you will find advancement

3) Don't cry too long because you delay the dance and deliverance

4) Talk to the Lord ask him 1) should I pursue 2) Will I overcome

5) Encourage yourself in the Lord

6) Take back what you have lost

7) Look past the suffering to the joy that will carry you through to victory

The point he didn't number but said that has stuck with me for thirteen years is “The blessing is always closer than Satan wants you to think.” Every time I am going through trials and tribulations God brings back that message to my memory and sends someone along my path to say something along that line. Every time I feel like "I can't go on," whatever I am going through, I just have to ask what happens if the blessing will be here tomorrow, or this week.

It is easy for us to look back at “Bible Stories” and imagine these super heros of faith,  but I can read through the Psalms and see that David had those moments where he just felt like giving up.  It is easy to give up. It takes nothing and most of our society is trained to do this because then we are a victim of our circumstances. We can blame our parents, an abuser, a relationship, a failure of someone else for anything. We can live in that failure and no one blames us. However, it doesn't move us any closer to the destiny that God has placed inside us.  And the truth is, the only person who can keep us from the destiny God has for us, is us.

David knew the secret revealed in Romans to overcoming trials successfully.  He knew that weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. He took the time in the midst of mourning to encourage himself in the Lord, and then he obeyed God and took back what the enemy stole from him.

This scripture found in Romans 5:1-5 can be summarized with Faith Triumphs Troubles.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We need to seek God deeper during those times because in order to get to our anointed appointment in Christ we must go through the trials and long tribulations.  We must steadily persist in God's course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. This perseverance will develop our character. And in our Character we can find hope knowing that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best (Romans 8:28). Hope will lead us to our God given destiny.

Five Fold Ministry and the Saints role

Ephesians 4:11-13 says: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,  for the Equipping (to furnish or provide with whatever is needed for use or for any undertaking) of the saints (patron) for the work (exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something) of ministry (To serve), for the edifying (to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift) of the body of Christ  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

We have somewhere lost sight that those in the five fold ministry are there to equip us (Church members) to do the work.  That the Saint's are there through service, to uplift other members of the body of Christ until we can work as a unified in faith, knowledge of Jesus, and are ALL following in the full measure of who Jesus was on this earth.  

We think it is those in the Five Fold Ministry's responsibility to spoon feed us, cater to our desires, and do all the work associated with furthering God's kingdom.  We have put a cross on our pastors that is not theirs to carry.  The  Five Fold Ministry's job is to EQUIP the church.  That is to provide the church with whatever is needed for use and undertaking for us to fulfill our role.

It is our role to serve, lift up other members in the body, and live in unity in faith, knowledge of Jesus, and to live as Jesus lived.

Take up your cross

The New Testament is filled with "take up your cross" Scriptures:
Matthew 10:38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 
Mark 8:34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

We often think of taking up our cross as dying to flesh, but Christ died to the his flesh in the garden when He said "not my will, but your will be done." Not that there was not some more 'dying to will' done as He  carried the cross to Calvary, but that was not the primary reason He took up the cross.

Christ took up the Cross for every sinner.  He carried it for our sake, not His.  He wasn't paying a price for himself, but "He became sin who knew no sin that we might become His righteousness"  We follow Him because of the price He paid for us.  We follow Him because He laid down His life for us.  We follow Him, because He was the only one that could bridge the gap between us and God.

Christ is not calling us to take up our Cross for our sake.  Yes, it is a further process of dying to self, because we have to deny ourselves.  The cross we carry is not for us.   It is for the sake of those who we come in contact with daily.  We are to take up the Cross and follow Christ in laying down our lives in service to others.  We are to be His hands and feet bridging the gap between the lost and God.

It is our cross, because there are people in our sphere of influence that will only be reached for the Kingdom if we lay down our lives in service.  There are people that will only be saved when we take up the cross and bridge that gap for them to see. 

The Sound of Breakthrough

Maybe I am sensitive to all things military because my son left last week for his National Guard AIT training.   Maybe because I have a special place in my heart for our armed services because of their willingness to serve.  Regardless, one thing I really heard from our Advancing the Kingdom conference this past weekend is about the importance of the unified voice of believers.  

Mrs. Rachel Hickson shared the power in a unified noise, sharing stories from the Israelite marching around the walls of Jericho in unison and how the walls came down.  She shared how military soldiers are told to break cadence when they reach a bridge because the resonance that is created has been known to destroy bridges. Resonance is a physics term which according to dictionary.com  is the state of a system in which an abnormally large 
vibration is produced in response to an external stimulus, occurring when the frequency of the stimulus is the same, or nearly the same,as the natural vibration frequency of the system.  
While I have read multiple opinions regarding if this is really scientific, in the Spirit realm, there is something to be said about the impact of unity.  Deut. 32:30 "How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight." When we have the unified body of Christ working in a unified purpose there is nothing that can stop the Church.

I can just picture the Church rising up in unity against the enemy.  That as we rise the ground that the enemy has is broken.  That his bridge to our communities is destroyed through the power of Christ in His unified church.

I can see that every weapon that he has formed against us, will not prosper (Isaiah 54:17).  We have allow Satan to use his weapons against the Church for far too long.  It is time that we stop playing defense and take an offensive stance against his weapons.

I can see that every step we take in reclaiming territory for the Kingdom would be His.  "Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours" Deut. 11:24.  If God would make that promise to two men who obeyed and believed, imagine what He would do for His Church that obeys and believes. 

I can see it is time that the Church be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. That we put on the whole armor of God, that the Church may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. That we stop fighting with each other, and with sinners and realize that (Eph. 6:10 - 18) we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  

It is time that the Church in unity take up the whole armor of God, so that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  We must stop backing down, and stand. 

We can stand, having girded our waists with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.  We can take the shield of faith with which and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, the word of God; and take back what we have so freely given to the enemy in our silence and complacency.

The church must once again, in unity start praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.  That is the unified cry that Heaven is waiting for, the glorified church of Christ to stand united in knowledge of whose they are and who they are.

How HOBY impacted my life 2014

Three years ago and amazing youth shared with me about HOBY (Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership) after completing some volunteer work at Havenwood. As she described her experience and how HOBY impacted her life, I said that sound like something I could get involved with personally.  One of the adults supervising the volunteer work, was a HOBY facilitator and she took me up on that offer.

My first year with HOBY, I was blown away.  I have attended youth leadership conferences with my children and I have attended adult leadership conferences, but this one was different.  The youth engaged and truly developed some leadership skills over the three day weekend.  I might have learned more over those three days than the youth, but I was hooked.  I didn't really keep in contact with the youth, but was impacted by each.  Several of the local youth I ran into during service projects or at their employment.

The second year came, and I signed up to facilitate again.   Knowing more what to expect I jumped right in.  I was pleasantly surprised that two of my youth came back to be JC's (Junior Counselors) that bring energy and excitement between speakers. The second group I kept up with over social media, offering encouragement and seeing them develop further.  I couldn't explain why HOBY meant so much to me, but it became something I look forward to all year.

This year there were a lot of barriers.  The training was held on the day of the biggest fundraiser we have for work.  I have been under a lot of stress personally and at work since that time.  Then I realized that it also fell on the same day as my children's Junior and Senior prom.  After discussing it, both my kids said "go".  I admit I felt a little hurt that they would want me to go, but the night we set up for HOBY, my daughter said "Mom, we know HOBY means a lot to you, we can come and get pictures and share our prom experience, and those youth need you as a facilitator."  After some arranging, the leaders let me schedule for my kids (And their dates and friends) to come up and let me see and get pictures while the HOBY ambassadors were eating. 

Saturday night I realized why HOBY was so important to me.  After a weekend of great speakers and a day of service and talent, the youth came together and shared about their experience.  As I sat there listening to them share, I realized how differently I had been at that age.  Almost to the exact day when I was their age, I was finding out that my future would forever be changed because I was pregnant.  These youth, were learning that their lives would forever be changed because they could be leaders.

They shared of how they wanted to make a difference for single parents, for hurting teenagers, for the homeless.  I realized, I would have never been sitting where they were when I was in 10th grade, because that was not where my thought process was for six more years.  I realized that if I was their age, they would be the kids trying to make a difference in my life, and that even 21 year later - they were making a difference in my life.

They talked about how their faith compelled them to serve and act on needs they see.  I realized, it would be a lot longer in my life before my faith grew beyond my immediate salvation and in to living as Christ lived in a life of service.  For all the negative I hear about today's youth, these youth rose above every one.

Then a young man shared his person journey.  It's not mine to tell, so I won't.  But it moved me (Which is hard to do) to tears.  To hear how this three day weekend (on day 2) had impacted his life so much.  He shared about his volunteer service at Havenwood and said "I don't realize how much I took for granted in my home, when I get home I am going to tell my mom I love her.  I haven't done that for two years."

Then another young lady and a facilitator shared their story of Havenwood volunteering and how they were impacted by the children there.  The youth sharing had no idea that I was the director there, just that there is this big lady at the front of the room who was a blubbering mess!  They shared of the impact of one small action, the difference it made to the child they played with and the parent's face of relaxation when it was over as she had some time for herself.  Because I knew who they were talking about, and that it was all one family it just made that much more of an impact on me.

There were a few more moments in the larger processing group that moved me, but ultimately I know that HOBY 2014 impacted my life because I was able to see youth looking outside themselves.  Many had rough lives, many made sacrifices to be there, but ultimately they are the future of tomorrow.

I feel like I closed a chapter of my life in that room,  The little 10th grade girl found healing and the adult women found hope for the future.