Growing Pains

God has been working so much. Cleaning, scraping, medicine, and bandaging. It is good, it is necessary, it is wanted. But it hurts. Oh, but I trust Him and love Him. I know that He loves me and loves being with me. He only does is for my good and will be best for me. I wouldn't dare take a step without holding His hand. Though I know at times I run before I think. But He always takes me back into His arms and tends to the wounds I have from running. It is tough struggling with the desire to run and be free and grown up, yet wanting to crawl up into His arms and hear His heart beat and fall asleep to the sound of His voice. I wouldn't be anywhere else. No matter the pain.

On A Moments Notice

During a recent conversation with a friend, a question came up that has had me thinking. We were talking about Mary and Joseph and how on more than one occasion God had told them to leave immediately. He didn't give them a couple weeks notice so they could pack or even a days notice to say goodbye. He woke them in the middle of the night and said leave now. Then the question was would I be willing to do that? Am I even listening close enough to hear Him if He said it? Am I holding on to things or people too much to do that? That makes me thing of the verse "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So how would you answer those questions?

Letter From God

A few years ago I was involved with a children's ministry that I think could have stood toe to toe with the best. One of the things we purposely focused on was telling the kids how much God loved them and wanted them to talk to Him. So many mornings the lessons being presented to the kids hit the adult leaders just as hard. The simplicity of the Gospel without all the grown-up balony. One lesson we did, from a curriculum from Willowcreek Church I think, involved the kids each receiving a letter from God. When I read the letter then and as I read it again tonight in preparation for using it tomorrow, it hit me again just as strongly how simple my relationship with My Father really is and how complicated I make it. I hope it encourages you too.


My Friend,
Thanks for taking time to be with Me today. Hanging out with you is something I always look forward to.

I think it’s great that you’re learning how to have community with others. I created you to do life together and not alone. Community is something I am all about and I want to teach you how great it can be. Check out My Word sometime. It’s filled with verses about it.

First, let’s work on us – you and Me. Here’s what you need to know about Me. I will always be here for you. I will never let you down. You can talk to Me anytime, day or night. I’m never too busy to hear from you. There is nothing you can’t tell Me, because I love you and that will never change. Remember that I’m your biggest fan and only want what’s best for you.

Let’s talk about you. I want you to tell Me everything! Tell Me about your life, what you struggle with, and what makes you happy. I want to know it all!

Tell Me about school and how that’s going for you. Tell Me about your friends. How are they doing? Tell me about your family. Are you getting along with them? What is the best thing going on in your life right now? What are you the most excited about? Are you sad about anything? Is there anything in your life you wish were different? Is there anything I can help you with or anything you need? I can’t promise it will happen, but I would like you to ask Me. I want to be in your life.

Always remember, My friend, that I love you so much and I think you’re the coolest! I’m always going to be watching out for you and taking care of you, so don’t worry about anything. Have fun today, keep growing, and come talk to Me again soon!

Love always,
God

The New Pledge

If you believe in the One True God and that our country was founded as one nation under God, you must watch this and then pass it on as a warning to others. Things keep happening and if you look close you will see many similarities to Hitlers rise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcPA1ysSbw

Tears of the Saints

You need to paste this address into the browser and watch it. It will tear your heart apart.
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=c999ad735a62a52d92aa

Who Are You and What Are You Doing?

One night there was an old Rabbi walking home from a long journey and he accidentally took the wrong way at the fork in the road. So instead of being on the road home he was headed towards a roman military fort. As he wondered aimlessly in the dark a guard spotted him and said, “Stop. Who are you and what are you doing here?” There was a long silence so again he said, “Who are you and what are you doing here?” Well in typical Rabbi fashion he answered with a question with a question and asked, “how many wages do you make in a day?” The Roman soldier thought it a weird question but answered, “I make 50 coins a day.” The Rabbi said, “I’ll double your salary if you’ll come to my home and ask me those same questions every day.”

Who are you? If you are a believer you are His. That is all you need. No one, nothing, can ever take you away from Him. He will never push you away. Even in the midst of our sin when the relationship may be broken, we are still His.
What are you doing? Are you fulfilling His purpose for you or your purpose for you?

WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

One Thing

Please watch this video.

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=96ccab6067d81ee5bbc6&utm_source=newsletter0821&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weeklytopvideos

Following

After my trip to West Virginia I came back with some clear orders in my heart. In the past month I do not feel I have accomplished very much of them. Life just seems to get in the way. I am still in the process of trying to get the externals in order and setting some self-discipline into routine. I believe He is speaking to me and still guiding me. With all my heart I want to follow Him with everything I am. I want my life to be His and His alone. Following is much harder than I wish it was at times.
Father,
May everything about me be about You. I again lay my life at Your feet. Take it and do with me as You may.

A Song & A Question

I love to go and spend time in the prayer room at the International House of Prayer. I am purposing to do it even more in my life. The last time I was there the worship leader sang a song that really touched my heart. I don't know the title, but here are the words.

I want to give what's inside of my heart
I want to give what's inside of my heart to You

I know that You love me
I know that I love You
Therefore everything is okay
I'll open my heart for You

No reservations, no walls
Just an open door in my heart for You

I'm giving You everything this time
I lay me at Your feet
All my heart, all my soul,
all my strength is Yours


I have been talking to many friends lately and am hearing the same thing over and over. God is working. He is bringing about what seems to be the purpose for which they were created, at least part of it. He is not being subtle, but is filling them with a confidence, purpose, and strength to follow. The struggles they are encountering seem to only make them stronger and more confident. He is doing it in me too.

How about you?

The Labyrinth

Recently I went to West Virginia to visit a friend and take care of some things. While I was there she told me about a labyrinth. My first thought or picture was of a really big maze with high walls of bushes and grass. So I was a little surprised when it was a brick labyrinth that was relatively small. But wow what a huge impact it made on and in me.

At the beginning it gives you instructions on what to do before, during and after you follow the Labyrinth. I prayed before I entered and then continued as I followed the path. Many things came to me as I followed this path. It reminded me of life and even more so of my relationship with God.

There were many turns in the path. At times it seemed you were doing a total u-turn and going back to where you had just been. I can remember many of those times in my walk with God. They were times of questioning, doubt, hurt and even anger.

There were times in the path that it seemed I was back at the beginning. Have you ever felt like you were back at the beginning of your walk with God? Those times when you thought you had learned the lesson you were once again facing. Maybe feeling disappointed in yourself and knowing He had to be disappointed with you too. At those times is when I wanted to give up. I thought I would never learn and become what He wanted me to be.

Walking on the path there were also times I was so close to the destination that I could almost reach out and touch it. I love those points in my walk. Those are the times when my heart is truly in tune with Him and even if it was hard I could sense HIm close and see purpose in the pain. Those are times that I hear His voice clearly, see His hand moving, and dream of His purposes.

Then there were times on the path when I was so far away from the beginning and end that I thought I would never reach either end and wanted to just get off the path. One word comes to mind for that...desert. I hate desert times with God. It seems nothing is working. I can't hear Him, feel Him, see Him, and it is definitely hard to believe I am loving Him during those times. All that seems to be around me are the vultures waiting to pounce on my dead body.

But finally I made it to the end and stood in the middle of a huge circle. All around from the middle of this circle bricks radiated out like rays of light. When I looked up there was a waterfall in the window in front of me. On the outside pain of glass was a cross. For a brief moment I thought I was in Heaven. For all around me was the presence of the One who loved me with All that He is and wanting nothing back from me but for me to return that love.

Oh, that I would fully break open my heart and soul and lay them at His feet. That I would love Him with an extravagant love as He loves me. With all that I am. ALL my heart, ALL my soul, ALL my mind, ALL my strength, ALL of me.

Oh, Father. Help me in my weakness to give You all that I am.

The Labyrinth

Human Trafficking

This is a real problem that goes on daily in our world. Millions of women and children are being abducted, abused, and murdered. Here is a link to a Christian organization that is working to stop the trafficking. Please go check it out. Below the link is an article from this sight that talks about the issue.

http://www.exoduscry.com/

SLAVERY IN THE END-TIMES
by Benji Nolot
December 18, 2008

One of the most clear and disturbing events prophesied in the Word of God is the emergence of a global slave trade in the end-times. Revelation chapter 18 depicts the downfall of an evil world empire that has defiled the earth. In verses 11-13, the merchants of the earth mourn the loss of their merchandise, which includes human lives. In a similar way, Joel chapter 3 predicts that one of the primary reasons Jesus comes to judge the earth is that children are enslaved as prostitutes: “I will gather the armies of the world…[and] enter into judgment with them…[for] they cast lots to decide which of My people would be their slaves. They traded young boys for prostitutes and little girls for enough wine to drink.”

In order to fully grasp the nature and magnitude of slavery in the end-times, we must understand the context from which it emerges. The bible describes in great detail a global religious and economic system that will arise and defile the nations with a spirit of perversion. This movement, called the great Harlot Babylon, will be humanistic at its core, and will be founded upon the ideological pillars of moral relativism (immorality) and religious syncretism (idolatry). This movement will reject conservative moral convictions, and will instead exalt the sensual appetites of men. According to Revelation 9:21, sexual immorality is one of the chief sinful activities that will permeate the earth during this time.

Taken together, these biblical texts paint a clear picture of the Harlot Babylon system. In the generation of Jesus’ return a global movement will emerge that is fueled by lust and greed. Multitudes will be emboldened to pursue their carnal appetites as they cast off all moral restraint. The nations will rise up in an unprecedented demand for illicit sex, thus paving the way for a corresponding slave industry to satisfy this demand. Not only will children not escape the grasp of this great evil, but they will be the commodity most coveted by humanity’s lust for illicit sex. Then, at the height of the nations’ intoxication, Jesus will return to judge the earth and deliver the oppressed.

I believe that we are currently living in the timeframe that the bible prophesied about thousands of years ago. Our generation is witnessing the beginning of the rise of the great Harlot Babylon. The most prominent ideology on the earth right now is post-modernism, which boasts the same two foundational characteristics as the Harlot Babylon – moral relativism (immorality) and religious pluralism (idolatry). Sexual promiscuity has become rampant through the widespread proliferation of internet-pornography. Unthinkable acts of immorality are now beginning to permeate our “civilized society” in a way former generations could not have even imagined. Satan is aggressively confronting the planet with an insidious agenda of seducing the nations into unprecedented expressions of darkness. As a result tens of millions of women and children have been enslaved across the globe to serve the nefarious appetites of perverse men.

It is in this hour that the people of God must arise to confront these forces of injustice. For too long the church has relegated issues of social justice to secular human rights organizations, all the while we are losing a significant battle in the spirit. Human rights organizations cannot deliver our children from the onslaught of demonic hoards because many of these organizations stem from the very humanistic ideologies that are even now giving rise to the Babylon system. The prophetic church, armed with the clear testimony of scripture and the anointing for intercession, alone can address this great evil at its core. Though slavery is a war that will continue until the time of Jesus’ return, we can win many battles between now and then in real time and space. We must step onto the battlefield of history and begin to contend with the spiritual weapons of our warfare for the wholesale deliverance, salvation, and restoration of every person in slavery.

Is this your heart?

Go to this site and listen with an open heart.
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=da4b95295f176f6550b4&utm_source=newsletter0717&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weeklytopvideos

Run For Your Life

Please take the time to go to this site and watch this video. It is worth 5 minutes of your life.

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9fb9e41674e0b7874f12&utm_source=newsletter0706&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weeklytopvideos

Three Questions

There is a Christian song out that I don't know the title to, but that has effected me deeply. There is one line of it that is "haunting" me. That one line is:

What if I had given everything instead of going through the motions?

Most of the time I only give a part of myself. Even if I am giving 99% that is not all and I wouldn't dare to say that I have ever given that. So what would my life be like if I would give everything and stop just going through the motions?

In addition to that the youth pastor spoke at our church this morning and asked two hard questions he had read about a rabbi being asked. They were:

Who are you and what are you doing here?

Seem simple, but they are not.

Who am I? It is easy to define who we are by what we do, how others view us, what others want us to think we are. But the real answer can only be found in asking ourselves a question first. Who does God say I am and do I believe Him? If we answer the question from any other place, it is a lie.

What am I doing here?
He made a point that it is not why I am here. We as westerners try too often to logically figure things out. We will never figure out God. If we could, He would cease to be God because we would be higher than He. Who would want a God who is weaker than oneself? But the question beckons more of an answer as to how we are living where we find ourselves now. Not looking back wanting to go to a better place we once knew. Not looking forward, wanting to get out of the place we are currently. But standing still and doing what God wants us to be doing now.

So I ask myself, and I ask you these questions.

What if we gave everything instead of going through the motions?

Who are we?

What are we doing here?

Maintaining Personal Revival

In searching for materials on spiritual warfare and the armor of God I came across a list that challenged me. I thought I would share it with you and hope it is a useful tool for you as well.
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unconfessed sin in your life.
2. Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you. Make restitution where God leads.
3. Examine your motives in every word and deed. Ask the Lord to search and cleanse your heart daily.
4. Ask the Holy Spirit to guard your walk against complacency and mediocrity.
5. Praise and give thanks to God continually in all ways, on all days, regardless of your circumstances.
6. Refuse to obey your carnal (worldly) nature. (Gal 5:16,17)
7. Surrender your life to Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Develop utter dependence on Him with total submission and humility.
8. Study the attributes of God.
9. Hunger and thirst after righteousness. (Matt 5:6)
10. Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. (Matt 22:37)
11. Appropriate the continual fullness and control of the Holy Spirit by faith on the basis of God's command (Eph 5:18) and promise (1 John 5:14-15).
12. Read, study, meditate on, and memorize God's holy, inspired, inerrant Word daily. (Col 3:16)
13. Pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:27)
14. Fast and pray one 24-hour period each week
15. Seek to share Christ daily as a way of life.
16. Determine to live a holy, godly life of obedience and faith.
17. Start or join a home or church Bible study group that emphasizes revival and holy life.