Some might say they were just having fun waving flags and being up front. That may be part of it. But, their faces were shining with glory. I believe they were bringing smiles to the Father as well as to me and others.
There is something breathtaking about watching the little children come unto him. Some might say they were just having fun waving flags and being up front. That may be part of it. But, their faces were shining with glory. I believe they were bringing smiles to the Father as well as to me and others. The moments couldn't be completely captured on camera or reproduced in words. The 15 month old shaking flags, twirling and marching for the entire worship set, face ablaze with smiles. The four year old looking to heaven with hands raised and face intent. The five year old grinning and waving the red flag she told me she picked because it was Jesus blood color. The eight year old shyly waving his flag like a soldier standing firm. The nine year old fiercely wielding his flag like a warrior. The eleven year old overcoming fear of looking silly and stepping up to lift her flag in beauty. Then, there was the moment the worship leader, in the middle of worship, encouraged everyone to lay everything down and the baby literally dropped his flags and laid down tender cheek to the carpet. He was listening. Pastor reminding that following Jesus into our destiny would require us to step out of our comfort zones and give our all. At that, Baby jumped off the bottom step where he had been sitting, waved both flags with vigor and let out a war cry. I love watching my babies, my niece and nephew and other children within the church worship so fearlessly and with abandon. What beauty.
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... Deceiving even the elect, if that were possible...
I have found people are having inner struggles that never would have questioned the goodness of God before. The outer struggles many are facing are even more obvious - medical issues, financial issues, marriage issues, family issues, political issues ... These are the end times, my friends, and as his time grows short the enemy prowls around more than ever seeking whom he may devour. Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. He is able, more than able. God is a great God and He is not slow as some understand slowness, He is patient, not wanting Any to perish but All to come to eternal life. And this is eternal life - knowing God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. Do we know Him? Are we remembering his faithfulness and forgetting not His benefits? This is a trustworthy saying, If we die with Him, we will also live with Him. If we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we deny and disown Him, He will deny and disown us. If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.I have found the secret of being content.. Rejoice in the Lord always. Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (Excerpts from the Bible.) You have a gift. Something only you can give. You have yourself. You can choose to give yourself to whatever passion and pleasure strikes your fancy - giving your time to feel good and look good. You can give yourself to pleasing other people-giving your thoughts to all consuming moments of trying to figure out how to fit in and be the best. You can give yourself to work and having it all-never resting while giving your all to have more and better. You can give yourself to drugs and alcohol and watch your health deteriorate by the minute. You can give yourself to relaxation and rest and watch things fall apart around you. Or you can give yourself to the King of kings as a servant in His Kingdom. You can spend each waking moment guarding your thoughts and words so as to let nothing leak out except that which would please the King and represent Him gloriously. You can spend all energy finding ways to bless others in His name. You can give your time to soak in His presence and know Him deeper and deeper. You can dedicate your nights to rest and healing and renewal for a new day of living all for Him. What do you choose?
We know it. We've heard it. We've even preached it, but we've all been there. Known we should say or do something different, but afraid. Afraid, so we lie. Afraid of what someone else will think or say or how they will respond. Afraid of appearing weak or less than what we've been built up to be. Afraid of the consequences of our actions.
We think - They'll never know the truth. I can fix it before they see it. It won't really matter because it isn't a big deal anyway. And before we know it we've lost a relationship, ruined a good thing, made a mountain out of a mole hill... All it takes for trust to be lost is a little white lie, a tiny half truth, an omitted fact, and unfulfilled word. Rebuilding trust takes years of hard work- if it can even be built- and can be lost again forever in a tiny moment. One sentence. One shake of the head. One broken promise. Words are powerful. Truth and lies are at war. The father of lies is the same as the advocate of fear and the divider of relationships. He will delight in tempting you to get by without the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He loves to manipulate words and actions just the tiniest fraction so as to wreak havoc. He celebrates broken hearts and lives. The Archenemy and ultimate Warrior is Truth. Despite a bit of pain- keeping an oath and following through. Despite fear - telling the truth and taking responsibility. He knows if you can trust and follow the way of righteousness you will find favor and grace and peace. Peace that passes understanding. Just try. Refuse to let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen. Choose to speak truth and follow through even if it hurts. Guard your tongue and you lips. Set a date and pay close attention to the war over truth and lie from now till then and see what changes come. Catch even the little foxes. Sometimes when we are going through the scum life hands us, words don't come easily. Yet, when they do, they often carry a punch. I wrote this a while ago when complete sentences seemed out of reach. I am not in that place any more, praise be to God, but felt this might be an encouragement to someone.
Numb, yet the feelings are so strong. Paralysis and overflow of voltage, simultaneously. Pain smoothed over with a relieving gel. Hope dimmed by doubt. Joy held at bay by duty. Disappointment masked over with flexibility. Desire warring with hatred. Love fighting anger. Truth solid beneath shifting facts. Knowing not touching the feeling. Belief hanging on when trust wanes. Motivation lost. Insomnia gripping. Energy taxed. Pockets of air. Roller coaster. God you see it all. Father- you always make a way. Have yours. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Heal. Restore. Make new. Begin. Surprise. Come through. Oh what grace. Without you I am nothing. Without you I would be insane. Without you I would be lost. Tears. Hope. Fear. Knowing Truth. Believing lies. Seeing facts. Holding on to God. Seeing the blessings in the moments. Letting go of tomorrow. Submission. Control. Questions. Revelation. Sleep. Wake. Eat. Give. Plan. Dream. Cry. Dream Again! Smile. The Truth is..
My God is bigger. My God is stronger. If God be for me, who can be against me? He who is in me is greater than He who is in the world. I have boldness to come before the throne of grace knowing that He hears me, and if He hears me, I know that I have what I ask of Him! Wow! God is a good Father and He wants good not evil for me and my children. The battle belongs to the Lord. The battle is not won by the strength of the armies or the strength of the horse but by the favor and Presence of God. Like David said- Who are you to defy the Name of the Living God? You come at me with weapons, propaganda, and fear tactics... but I come against you in the Name of the Living God. This day, I will feed you to the birds. Like Gideon with an army of 300- the millions were defeated. Like Elisha when the servant's eyes were opened to see the angel armies surrounding and protecting the man of God. (2 Kings 6:17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.) Like the prophets who received words directly from the Lord of what was happening- in the King's inner most rooms- and were able to act on it. They weren't listening to lies or sitting in the seat of sinners and mockers (media).. they were meditating on the Law of the LORD day and night! Like the countless people who have walked through the water, the fire, the lion's den, the torture, the prison cells, the barred gates, the impossibilities- God has promised to never leave me nor forsake me. I am secure in Him. My anchor holds beyond the veil. Though all around is sinking sand On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. The house built on Him stands firm. Those who dwell in the shadow of the Almighty will rest in the shelter of His wings. I will not fear the terror of night or the sudden disaster that over takes the wicked. My hope is in God. My salvation and my honor depend on Him. He alone is my rock and my refuge. He is my fortress I will never be shaken. All other ground is sinking sand. Lord help me. Give me wisdom as I wrestle with these two seemingly opposing schools of thought. The fact that you came humbly, Lived humbly and were ill treated and poor, but you acted with the full resources of heaven. You did not hold back from ministry in anyway because you couldn't afford it or didn't have the answers or the power to change circumstances. You took straight from heaven and passed it through to bring life around you.
We have been living at such a level that we have not been able to even take care of our own family without aid much less be a conduit for other people's change. Frugality on our part has nothing to do with how much we make and give. We can live simply so others can simply live, but we can succeed prosperously so that we can give and be generous. Is that struggle that we want so much more because we have been so far behind then we get greedy for more? Are we trying to get more for ourselves? and gaining an entitlement attitude at the same time? (Incidentally we recognize entitlement issues in our children, yet we encourage it in women?/men? respectively to a degree...) We deserve nothing, but God in His grace provides richly for our enjoyment. He loves to shower blessings on His people. He loves to be extravagant so that others see his greatness and are drawn. He is not skimpy with nature. He is not skimpy with sunrises. He is not skimpy with details. He is a magnificent, all powerful, all loving God. He has good things stored up for those who love him and are called according to His purposes. No, we were not meant to be satisfied with poverty level and lack in our home. We can choose to live at a level that others may not understand because of its simplicity, but our God is extravagant. It's okay to receive His blessings and share them extravagantly with our children and the world. Perhaps you've looked at my blog or facebook posts and thought we've fallen off the deep end seeking riches and prosperity. We have lived in poverty (American poverty) but we were called to greatness. Not so we can be looked at, but because there are people hurting who need people who love. We know what it's like to be hungry, cold, ashamed of our clothing, sick, depressed, surrounded by mold and rats and trash and mud. We know what it's like to be cramped and feel trapped. We don't want to live there anymore. We know other people don't either. I remember a Sunday School teacher asking me once. "Do you prefer to Give or Get?" And then "Do you want to be rich or poor?" I remember answering quickly- "I love to give." "Truly?" she countered. "Yes, I do. I know it is the "right" answer but it feels good to give." But, I couldn't answer that second one as easy. I wanted to be rich, but I knew that was not the "right" answer! Blessed are the poor. So, I meekly said, "I guess it's better to be poor so that's what I want." The Lady was wise and asked me this. "Can you give more when you are rich or poor? If you want to give much you may have to be rich." That's an age old question isn't it? We look at our options and we go with duty. We feel we need to desire poverty so we can be holy. "How can a rich man enter heaven?" But, from what I see, the Bible never says to desire poverty and lack. We are to be Christlike, and yes, he didn't live richly on earth by way of material goods- but he didn't lack either. He gave extravagantly, not with financial means because that was what was expected. He gave to the needs of the people. The true needs. He healed brokenness and brought life. He shook up the normal idea that the holy were blessed financially. He still shakes up the normal. We have to wrestle with these thoughts. When you wake up in the morning, do you look at your bank account, your day planner and the gas tank, watch the news and make your decisions of what to do for the day? Or do you get up and look to the Maker of Heaven and Earth and ask Him what He has for you this day?
If God calls you to it- He will equip you for it and provide for the call! He won't ask you to do something you can't do. He will enable you! We can do all things through Christ! So what has God called you to? If money was no object - seriously money made absolutely no difference - what would you do with your life? If nobody else told you what to do with your time? What would you do today? This week? Next year? If you had energy and strength and health, what would you do? Would "God be calling you" to live differently, if there were no earthly constraints like time/money/health??? Does God operate in our world under our economy and our rules? Or are we ambassadors for His Kingdom operating out of His economy and His rules?? Sure, we live in a fallen world, but we are not of it. We are blessed beyond the curse! Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world. It is okay to dream again! God can make a way!! The Bible says He heals all those who come to Him. That He opens His hand and provides at the right time, and that He even stopped time once so Joshua could win a battle. God takes care of things like health, money (the things money can buy) and time. If the Bible says it-I believe it! If we truly believe nothing is impossible with God and that we can approach His throne of grace boldy and that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective.. What can stop us? Jesus didn't stay confined to this fallen world. He took authority over it and rose above. And He said we would do the same and even greater things than He did!! Is He trustworthy? He said not to worry or be anxious in anything, but to give thanks in all things and rejoice always! Can we do it? This is how we show love to Him- by obeying His commands. It may feel like a sacrifice to bring praise instead of fear... But like King David said, can we bring the Lord something that cost us nothing? Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness! God is good!! He laughs at the wicked for He knows their day is coming. :) What are you going to do? Choices. Freedom. He who Christ sets free is free indeed! The Truth will set you free. Believe! Truth is higher than fact. How does one remain faithful to the call to be wild and fulfill a destiny of kingship in a culture of boxes, tameness, rules and anarchy?
The Great Cats at the zoo are always a disappointment. We think of the King of the Beasts and we immediately think of a Lion. We think of him strong and strutting. We think of him shaking a thick golden mane and walking with powerful steps through his kingdom daring anyone to defy him. We think of his growl and his roar filling the jungle with fear and awe. We think of his pride. We think of him circling his pride keeping them safe and unified. Circling and keeping predators at bay. We see him regally attacking any opposition to his domain with a fierceness that will not be matched. We see his tail twitching, like a clock’s hands, counting the minutes to a sure confrontation if one dares defy his authority. We also see his tenderness. We see him stroking the neck of the lioness, playfully batting a cub that jumps on his tail. We see something unstoppable. Something inspiring. Something breathtaking and amazing. Something we can’t take our eyes off. Something worthy of our attention. He is worthy looking for. He is worth waiting for. Then we go to the zoo. At the zoo the Great Cats are at the far side of the zoo from the entrance. They are all the way at the end. They are what we keep our children moving towards. They are what propel us to keep walking. “Come now, we want to make sure we have time to see the big cats,” We coax our children dawdling in the farm animal section. “Come now, we haven’t seen the big cats yet,” We encourage when little feet get tired. “Come now, we still have the great cats to see,” We call when some are lagging behind. Finally, we do arrive in that hoped for place. We get to the Lion’s Lair. We look with anticipation. We search with eagerness. “There he is!” Hiding behind the shrubs. Laying there. Dosing. “It’s hot.” We make excuse. “He’s moving!” someone cries. We all stand at attention. The Lion lazily yawns and slowly gets up. He shifts his head with boredom and looks this way and that. He stumbles across the grass to anther shady spot and plops down dejectedly and drops his head on his paws like an old blood hound. This is what we’ve been waiting for? This is what has kept us moving all day? This is the animal we say is our favorite? This is the animal that is the King of the beast? What a disappointment. This is a picture of our men. God created our men to be wild. To be free. To be kingly. To be stately and proud. To be undefiable. Leaders. Strong. Confident. Possessive of his people. Protective of his pride. Taking over the jungle for his own. But, we have built a zoo. We have decided man must be preserved for future generations. We want to showcase his glory. We want all to see this stately king. So, we bring him in. We put him in a box. We set him on a pedastool. We build up the suspense and we invite people to stare. What has happened to our kings? They have been put in a box. They have been deprived of the hunt, the fight for survival. We have given them everything they need to survive, but pulled out from under their feet the very things that make them thrive! They have lost all desire to live. They have lost all care to strut. They have lost the need to roar with passion. They have been stripped of the pride to lead. Even the lioness is separated from him by an unscalable wall. Come on men! Jump over that gate. Roar as if your life depends on it. Roar as if you pride can still hear you and will follow you if you lead. Believe in yourself again. Believe in your position. Believe in your call. You are the KING OF THE BEASTS. You are the MIGHTY ONE. You are the One we are waiting for! Step up. Step out of that box and deliver. Shake that mane and lift up your head. Circle up your pride into unity. Circle around your lady and your children- the flock you were called to shepherd, and dare the enemy to step in and separate you again. Refuse to live on the throne of a box in a zoo, and return to the jungle where you were called to be wild. We wait with anticipation. Praise the Lord that He works in us, through us and for us, even when we can not see.
When we get ahold of the revelation of this we can praise even when it seems like God is silent or un-moving. You may be sleeping but God is working. You may be walled up, besieged and starving, but God is sending the enemy into confusion. (Remember 2 Kings 6) You may be sleeping in prison but God is speaking the dream that will free you and promote you to the highest position in the land. (Remember Joseph) You may be asleep but the King is being reminded of your faithful service and the enemy's guilt. (Remember Mordecai) You may be resting, worn from battle, dying of fever but Jesus is walking your way. (Remember Peter's mother-in-law) You may be in the grave, dead and gone. But Jesus can still call your name. (Remember Lazarus) You may be going about business as usual. But Jesus is coming to town. (Remember the lame man by the Temple Gate Beautiful) Come forth, rise up, be healed, on your feet - Jesus is calling you. In the twinkling of an eye, it will all be changed. Circumstances are futile. Looks can be deceiving. What appears solid can be shaken. He spoke and the world began. Overnight God can seal their fate and secure your destiny. You can wake to a world of white. You can rise to a new reality. Victory is in the hand of the Lord. You will labor and strive in vain if you labor in your own strength. But with God, all things are possible- things beyond comprehension! Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! (Al |