2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Beautiful, snowy day. Flakes have fallen and covered our dry dark land, just as the blanket of Yours mercy and grace falls on us in righteousness and holiness before You. Today, my prayer is again that Your Holy Spirit descend and cover my dry dark sin with Your mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love. Just as the few places outside not covered in snowstick out to our vision as eye-sores, let any sin in my life be an eye-sore to my spirit. Let Your Holy Spiri reveal any sin in my life so that I may seek forgiveness for those areas that I may not have even been aware of. Lord Jesus, forgive me. Let me be quick to repent today. Let my heart be pure white before You, and let there be no area of my life withheld from You. I love You and praise Your Holy Name. You alone have the power to blanket me in Your love and wash my sins white as snow. Amen.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
OK 2011, watch out, here we come! We are fixing to light a fire in our faith that cannot be dimmed. The 21 Day corporate fast begins tomorrow. First, may I say, congratulations on taking this leap of faith in the first step. There is not a time in my life where I feel more exhilerated that a time of fasting. Of course, anytime you purpose to resist the needs of the flesh....in any way...for the renewal of the spirit, there is going to be a war. But hang in there...God will richly reward you. Spend the next 21 days soaking up as much time in His Word and in His presence as you can.
Here are some musts...
1. You must write down your length of fast. If you just say you are going to fast until you don't feel like doing it any more, you will only make it about 5 hours. You must decide with the Lord how long a fast He is calling you to, and write it down. There is an end to the time of fasting, and you need to know exactly when that is.
2. You must write down exactly what you are fasting from. If you leave it up to speculation, it will turn into eating all you see. Clearly write down exactly what the guidelines of the fast the Lord has called you to are. There are several examples in the Word of fasting...total fasts, liquid fasts, and partial fasts. Do not name your fast based on what you can do in your own strength. Pick your fast as to what you feel the Lord is calling you to. If you are going to do a fast based on your own strength, you may as well not start one. My daughter came to me with a delima on picking what she was going to fast...she said it was between cold drinks and vegetables. Even funnier since I have not been able to get her to eat a vegetable since she came off baby food!
3. You must write down what your are fasting for. What is your purpose? What are the things in your life you are truly seeking an answer from the Lord on? What are some things you are wanting the Lord to show you? Just like in keeping a prayer journal when you write down your purpose you can't get sidetracked or confused. You will not be as likely to doubt what you are doing or why if you have clearly specified and written down goals.
Some things need clarifying at this point. First, this is not a name it, suffer a little, and claim it proposal. I can not explain the supernatural power in fasting exactly, but the Holy Word of the Lord, spoken by Jesus Himself tells us that it is true. Mark 9:29 "And he said unto them, 'This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.'". If the Son of God Himself found it necessary to fast throughout His ministry, and God saw fit to have the Holy Spirit lead Him to the wilderness for a time of fasting prior to the beginning of His earthly ministry, then how much moreso would it be important for us.
Second, in all 3 examples above, you will read that you are to make all decisions in fasting by leadership of the Holy Spirit. This is not some mystical thing. In Matthew Chapter 6 it speaks of "when you give", "when you pray", and "when you fast". Fasting is to be as much a part of the life of a believer as is giving and praying. In Ecclesiastes 4:12 it states, "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Giving, praying and fasting are one of those threefold cords. Everything a believer does should be in accordance with and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
But here is one thing life, and fasting,has tought me...to trust Him moment by moment. Not for the end result or the 21 days down the road...but for this very moment and this very hour. If you try to look at the whole thing, it is completely overwhelming. Look at this moment, this choice, this hour. Will I trust Him in this moment. Will I stay focused in this temptation. Will I choose to worship Him this hour when the enemy is raging, and my stomach is growling.
I applaud you for your leap of faith in this corporate fast. I pray that you will leave your feedback and encourage each other through this time. Share with others on the fast what the Lord is doing in your walk together. Most of all, seek Him. Trust Him. Praise Him. Rely on Him. Amen.
Here are some musts...
1. You must write down your length of fast. If you just say you are going to fast until you don't feel like doing it any more, you will only make it about 5 hours. You must decide with the Lord how long a fast He is calling you to, and write it down. There is an end to the time of fasting, and you need to know exactly when that is.
2. You must write down exactly what you are fasting from. If you leave it up to speculation, it will turn into eating all you see. Clearly write down exactly what the guidelines of the fast the Lord has called you to are. There are several examples in the Word of fasting...total fasts, liquid fasts, and partial fasts. Do not name your fast based on what you can do in your own strength. Pick your fast as to what you feel the Lord is calling you to. If you are going to do a fast based on your own strength, you may as well not start one. My daughter came to me with a delima on picking what she was going to fast...she said it was between cold drinks and vegetables. Even funnier since I have not been able to get her to eat a vegetable since she came off baby food!
3. You must write down what your are fasting for. What is your purpose? What are the things in your life you are truly seeking an answer from the Lord on? What are some things you are wanting the Lord to show you? Just like in keeping a prayer journal when you write down your purpose you can't get sidetracked or confused. You will not be as likely to doubt what you are doing or why if you have clearly specified and written down goals.
Some things need clarifying at this point. First, this is not a name it, suffer a little, and claim it proposal. I can not explain the supernatural power in fasting exactly, but the Holy Word of the Lord, spoken by Jesus Himself tells us that it is true. Mark 9:29 "And he said unto them, 'This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.'". If the Son of God Himself found it necessary to fast throughout His ministry, and God saw fit to have the Holy Spirit lead Him to the wilderness for a time of fasting prior to the beginning of His earthly ministry, then how much moreso would it be important for us.
Second, in all 3 examples above, you will read that you are to make all decisions in fasting by leadership of the Holy Spirit. This is not some mystical thing. In Matthew Chapter 6 it speaks of "when you give", "when you pray", and "when you fast". Fasting is to be as much a part of the life of a believer as is giving and praying. In Ecclesiastes 4:12 it states, "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Giving, praying and fasting are one of those threefold cords. Everything a believer does should be in accordance with and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
But here is one thing life, and fasting,has tought me...to trust Him moment by moment. Not for the end result or the 21 days down the road...but for this very moment and this very hour. If you try to look at the whole thing, it is completely overwhelming. Look at this moment, this choice, this hour. Will I trust Him in this moment. Will I stay focused in this temptation. Will I choose to worship Him this hour when the enemy is raging, and my stomach is growling.
I applaud you for your leap of faith in this corporate fast. I pray that you will leave your feedback and encourage each other through this time. Share with others on the fast what the Lord is doing in your walk together. Most of all, seek Him. Trust Him. Praise Him. Rely on Him. Amen.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Expecting the Christ
This time of year you see a lot of people getting ready for “The Claus”. Shopping, parties, cutsie sweaters with matching socks, and “stockings hung by the chimney with care”. Then the season has come and gone, and all that lingers are the decorations we accidentally miss as we put our house back in order, and the debt we went into to make sure that everyone around us got what was expected. But what if….just what if…what was expected was The Christ?
In Matthew 1:20 the Word says that “while he (Joseph) thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” Mary was truly “expecting” the Christ. For 9 months she dealt with questions, pointing, ridicule, and shame put on her by others because she was literally and physically expecting Jesus to appear. God had chosen her. That did not mean the road was easy, it meant that He would also enable her. Day by day she would live expecting Jesus Christ, but also the hand of the Lord on her through her journey. Truly she was blessed.
Later, John the Baptist would also live in expectation. In Luke 3:15-16 we read “and as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” The people of the day knew the prophecy of the coming Christ. They got it wrong, but at least they were looking for Him to come. John the Baptist had it right. He was doing all the Lord had asked of Him in expectation that The Christ would soon come. He lived his life serving a King that he did not fully understand or even realize was close by, but when God was ready for His Son’s role as the Christ to be revealed, John had lived in expectation long enough, and dedicatedly enough that He knew The Christ when He showed up. Would you or I? Have we lived our lives in quiet obedience with our eyes open for The Christ to be revealed to us in our day? Do we truly expect the Christ to walk in our days and our hours with us? Do we live like we even know Who He is?
Paul also walked in close relationship with the Lord. In Philippians 1:19-21 we hear Paul’s words as he writes, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The Christ, His earnest expectation. His intense anticipation, and from the head, as the original language speaks it. Meaning? The thought of The Christ was always in the front of his mind. He lived his life intensely mindful of watching for The Christ in all things, in all conversations, and in everything he did. He lived his life with the purpose of serving The Christ with all that he was and all that he had. Now, he had met the Lord face to face. Once a murderer of the Christians, he met the Lord face to face on the road to Damascus, and was never the same again. Some of us have met The Christ. Some of us have come face to face with Him as He searches us out, calls us to Himself, and hands us His gift, paid for by His blood, His gift of salvation and trust in who He is. Others of us have heard Him calling and turned the other way. For some, this may be the first time you have even thought of this life changing Christ. Can I just tell you that living a life “Expecting The Christ” is the greatest gift you could receive. James 1:15 states that “when lust has conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” You see, whether we realize it or not, we make a choice. We either live Expecting the Christ, or we choose to expect sin and its price of death. The best gift you can give your family this year, is the gift of knowing Christ yourself. God says he sets choices before us this day…life and death, blessings and curses. And then He gives us the answer just in case we were confused. “Choose life.” Choose Christ and live. Live a life of great expectation. Meet him face to face today, and have your own Damascus road experience. Call out to Him and He will answer you.
For those of you who claim to be living a life of expectation and intense anticipation. Sometimes the world around us can steal our zeal. Cheesy way of saying it, yes, but true. We get dull, we get lukewarm, we doubt our vision or desires, and we get to where we blend in with the crowd. Take a look back at Matthew 1:20. I am just going to quote a section. “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” Do you see it? Babies are not the only lives that God births within us. He births ideas, gifting, ministries, prayers, understanding of the scriptures, and love. Not too long ago, I was whining to God about our ladies ministry. What I thought it should be or look like by now, was this really what He had called me to, was I just out there living my own ideas separate from Him, because I just knew that if He had called me to it, He would have made it look very different. This verse was in my daily reading …that day. When I read it, it jumped off the page at me. What was conceived in me…the vision of what He had given me to do, the heart for the women’s ministry…was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He put it there. He had a part in it. He was nurturing it and growing it as only He could. What an amazing God we serve. What are the dreams He has given you? Have you turned your back on them because they did not look the way you thought they should? What about The Christ Himself…have you quit living “Expecting The Christ” because it did not go the way you thought? What will it take for you to return to living your life in intense anticipation of seeing The Christ at work in you, through you, and all around you?
This Christmas, how about we worry more about anticipating The Christ than we do the Claus. This much I know…the joy, excitement, and vision will not diminish after the 26th of December, or even the 1st of January. If we ever truly live our lives Expecting The Christ, it will carry over day to day, week to week, and year to year. It may not always be easy, we may meet opposition, but we must keep pursuing the goal of being able to say that “for to me to live is Christ.”
I choose “Expecting The Christ”.
In Matthew 1:20 the Word says that “while he (Joseph) thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” Mary was truly “expecting” the Christ. For 9 months she dealt with questions, pointing, ridicule, and shame put on her by others because she was literally and physically expecting Jesus to appear. God had chosen her. That did not mean the road was easy, it meant that He would also enable her. Day by day she would live expecting Jesus Christ, but also the hand of the Lord on her through her journey. Truly she was blessed.
Later, John the Baptist would also live in expectation. In Luke 3:15-16 we read “and as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” The people of the day knew the prophecy of the coming Christ. They got it wrong, but at least they were looking for Him to come. John the Baptist had it right. He was doing all the Lord had asked of Him in expectation that The Christ would soon come. He lived his life serving a King that he did not fully understand or even realize was close by, but when God was ready for His Son’s role as the Christ to be revealed, John had lived in expectation long enough, and dedicatedly enough that He knew The Christ when He showed up. Would you or I? Have we lived our lives in quiet obedience with our eyes open for The Christ to be revealed to us in our day? Do we truly expect the Christ to walk in our days and our hours with us? Do we live like we even know Who He is?
Paul also walked in close relationship with the Lord. In Philippians 1:19-21 we hear Paul’s words as he writes, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The Christ, His earnest expectation. His intense anticipation, and from the head, as the original language speaks it. Meaning? The thought of The Christ was always in the front of his mind. He lived his life intensely mindful of watching for The Christ in all things, in all conversations, and in everything he did. He lived his life with the purpose of serving The Christ with all that he was and all that he had. Now, he had met the Lord face to face. Once a murderer of the Christians, he met the Lord face to face on the road to Damascus, and was never the same again. Some of us have met The Christ. Some of us have come face to face with Him as He searches us out, calls us to Himself, and hands us His gift, paid for by His blood, His gift of salvation and trust in who He is. Others of us have heard Him calling and turned the other way. For some, this may be the first time you have even thought of this life changing Christ. Can I just tell you that living a life “Expecting The Christ” is the greatest gift you could receive. James 1:15 states that “when lust has conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” You see, whether we realize it or not, we make a choice. We either live Expecting the Christ, or we choose to expect sin and its price of death. The best gift you can give your family this year, is the gift of knowing Christ yourself. God says he sets choices before us this day…life and death, blessings and curses. And then He gives us the answer just in case we were confused. “Choose life.” Choose Christ and live. Live a life of great expectation. Meet him face to face today, and have your own Damascus road experience. Call out to Him and He will answer you.
For those of you who claim to be living a life of expectation and intense anticipation. Sometimes the world around us can steal our zeal. Cheesy way of saying it, yes, but true. We get dull, we get lukewarm, we doubt our vision or desires, and we get to where we blend in with the crowd. Take a look back at Matthew 1:20. I am just going to quote a section. “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” Do you see it? Babies are not the only lives that God births within us. He births ideas, gifting, ministries, prayers, understanding of the scriptures, and love. Not too long ago, I was whining to God about our ladies ministry. What I thought it should be or look like by now, was this really what He had called me to, was I just out there living my own ideas separate from Him, because I just knew that if He had called me to it, He would have made it look very different. This verse was in my daily reading …that day. When I read it, it jumped off the page at me. What was conceived in me…the vision of what He had given me to do, the heart for the women’s ministry…was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He put it there. He had a part in it. He was nurturing it and growing it as only He could. What an amazing God we serve. What are the dreams He has given you? Have you turned your back on them because they did not look the way you thought they should? What about The Christ Himself…have you quit living “Expecting The Christ” because it did not go the way you thought? What will it take for you to return to living your life in intense anticipation of seeing The Christ at work in you, through you, and all around you?
This Christmas, how about we worry more about anticipating The Christ than we do the Claus. This much I know…the joy, excitement, and vision will not diminish after the 26th of December, or even the 1st of January. If we ever truly live our lives Expecting The Christ, it will carry over day to day, week to week, and year to year. It may not always be easy, we may meet opposition, but we must keep pursuing the goal of being able to say that “for to me to live is Christ.”
I choose “Expecting The Christ”.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Romans 16:20 Heel - Snake Encounters
Romans 16:20 “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
If any of you are wanting to cut down on the landscaping around your house, I am your girl. As some of you know I have recently inherited the job of mowing and weedeating around our house. Zero-turn…I am getting there. I can drive anything with a steering wheel, but using an oar type apparatus to steer around the yard is just nuts…I am getting it though. The weedeating though, is a totally different story. I have yet to master that discipline, but hey, I get the weeds down…along with sprinkler heads, flowers, siding, and anything else that doesn’t get out of the way in time! In order for my yard to have flowers and landscaping, it is going to have to be potted in cast iron!
This morning, after my quiet time, I was psyched and ready to partner with the weed-eater. I was weed- eating around a fence between our house and the pasture, when I came upon a snake. I have a miracle to report. I did not pass out, I did not fall down, and I did not run. I am so excited to report to you my first boot-snake encounter. Yes, I stomped on its head with the heel of my boot and then kept going with my weed eating. OK, OK….one disclaimer…the snake was only about 8 inches long, but still…I encountered a snake, and I was successful in killing it, and staying on track with what I was supposed to be doing.
It got me to thinking…that was a physical encounter with a snake, would I and am I as successful when I encounter spiritual snakes. Do I get right up to the point where I see the snake up close, and cower and run, or do I take a stand, and bruise Satan’s head with my heal in the power and authority of Christ and His precious blood. This may not be a “lady-like” story, but ladies, the truth is, we are in a battle. Satan is around us at all times. Sometimes we can not clearly see where he is, and just pray the Lord protect us, but there are times, like the physical story today, when we come across Satan in our path, and need to understand that we do have the strength, power, authority, and right, to crush him under our heels. Where does that power come from? Notice where I was prior to the encounter. In prayer and in the Word itself comes our strength and encouragement in this life. Take the time to soak up the power in the Word, and then rise up and walk “BOLDLY” in Christ throughout the rest of your day.
If any of you are wanting to cut down on the landscaping around your house, I am your girl. As some of you know I have recently inherited the job of mowing and weedeating around our house. Zero-turn…I am getting there. I can drive anything with a steering wheel, but using an oar type apparatus to steer around the yard is just nuts…I am getting it though. The weedeating though, is a totally different story. I have yet to master that discipline, but hey, I get the weeds down…along with sprinkler heads, flowers, siding, and anything else that doesn’t get out of the way in time! In order for my yard to have flowers and landscaping, it is going to have to be potted in cast iron!
This morning, after my quiet time, I was psyched and ready to partner with the weed-eater. I was weed- eating around a fence between our house and the pasture, when I came upon a snake. I have a miracle to report. I did not pass out, I did not fall down, and I did not run. I am so excited to report to you my first boot-snake encounter. Yes, I stomped on its head with the heel of my boot and then kept going with my weed eating. OK, OK….one disclaimer…the snake was only about 8 inches long, but still…I encountered a snake, and I was successful in killing it, and staying on track with what I was supposed to be doing.
It got me to thinking…that was a physical encounter with a snake, would I and am I as successful when I encounter spiritual snakes. Do I get right up to the point where I see the snake up close, and cower and run, or do I take a stand, and bruise Satan’s head with my heal in the power and authority of Christ and His precious blood. This may not be a “lady-like” story, but ladies, the truth is, we are in a battle. Satan is around us at all times. Sometimes we can not clearly see where he is, and just pray the Lord protect us, but there are times, like the physical story today, when we come across Satan in our path, and need to understand that we do have the strength, power, authority, and right, to crush him under our heels. Where does that power come from? Notice where I was prior to the encounter. In prayer and in the Word itself comes our strength and encouragement in this life. Take the time to soak up the power in the Word, and then rise up and walk “BOLDLY” in Christ throughout the rest of your day.
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