Pages

Friday, March 30, 2012

take it back!

"Watch out that you do not lose what you 
have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully"
(2 John 8)

Any of us who are believers in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ, have a "was". It is who we were before we met Christ. It's who we were without His redemption.  It does NOT define who we are now, but rather it defines how far we have come since our encounter with a very living God. 

Once we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have a redeemed 'was' and can begin to live in for Him and for His glory. Our 'is' is who we are in Christ now. It's who we are growing to be daily and it is where we seek to become empowered for a mighty 'is to come'. 

Psalms 130:3 tells us that God doesn't keep a record of our sins. He does NOT remember them after we have humbly confessed them and repented of them. In fact, His precious Word tells us that he removes them as far as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:12). God doesn't remember them, but unfortunately, we do. And satan, who is the great accuser, does. He loves nothing better than to taunt us with our past. He loves to bring up our 'was' to us and handicap us into ineffectiveness for God's kingdom work. The enemy will hinder everything that we try to do for the glory of God, if we allow him to use our past to his advantage. We inadvertently allow satan to take ownership of our 'was'. We let him have power over us that doesn't belong to him. 

God has graced us and given us so much fertile ground to sow His seeds in, but we have allowed satan to steal it from us. It is high time that we reclaim our ground. We need to purposefully take it back from the enemy and guard it. 

It may be past sins that we haven't forgiven ourselves for. It may be a sinful behavior that we haven't repented of yet. Or perhaps one that we are hanging on to just a little bit longer.

Perhaps it is an attitude that needs to go. Or a personal relationship. Maybe we haven't forgiven someone for a deep hurt they caused us. Maybe we need to ask for someone else's forgiveness. 

Whatever it is, I would say that most of us have something that needs to be laid at the foot of the Cross and left there. We need to lay some things down and reclaim any ground that we may have given away or lost. If we desire to have a mighty 'is to come' in the LORD, we have to deal with our 'was' first. God desires for us to live victoriously and not in defeat. Do not let satan take what doesn't belong to him and keep us from a life of victory in Christ.

Take back that ground and do it today!

"There is therefore no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1)

Sin may touch us but it can't claim us!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, Father God, we come before you today asking that you forgive us for allowing satan to march into our territory and steal our ground. What you have given to us belongs to us! It doesn't belong to the enemy and he can't have it. Today we take back what has been stolen and we ask that you bless it and use it to empower us to turn it into fertile ground that we can sow into for your glory!

We reclaim that which is ours and commit it to you and we promise that we will do our best to hang on to it, guard it, and turn it into a harvest for you.

We love you, sweet Jesus, with all that we are and all that we have. You are God!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

He is our safe haven

"See, I have engraved you on
the palms of my hands; your
walls are ever before me"
Isaiah 49:16



We don't obtain our security through others. We can't depend on our friends or even our family to be our protectors. Our only true, safe haven is our Lord. Only Jesus can be with us every step of our lives. He is our ultimate source of trust and protection. God will never fail us. He will never let us down. Never forsake us. Never.

Others will devastate us with their lack of concern and their abandonment. With Christ, there will be no devastation. No abandonment. Only complete peace, comfort and trust. He is our refuge. Our help. Our security.

We need to place our devotion solely on Him and He will never disappoint us. He is the one who can replace our sorrow with joy and our mourning with dancing. He is the one who can put a smile on our faces with just the thought of His glorious name. He can fill our hearts with peace and replace that sadness of spirit with contentment in Him.

God is our forever companion. Even in our darkest hours, His presence can flood us with the light of His countenance. At our very first cry, He is attentive. When we cry out, He hears and He responds. He cares.

There is no place that we can go that He won't go before us when we are walking in His ways. As believers, we are given the promise of His Word that He will be with us always. Walking beside us and holding our hands or carrying us through our trials.

I am thankful for a God who is ever-present. Always faithful. Always true. His abundance overwhelms me and His love astounds me. I am so unworthy but He is so gracious and merciful.

Thank you, Lord, for being my rock and my refuge. My fortress and my strength. Thank you for your constant watch care over me. I am so grateful that you are always there. Always loving.  Always protecting. Never forsaking. You are faithful and true and I love you with all of my heart.


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

He wants to be wanted.

These last few weeks have been nothing short of absolutely amazing. We had prayer meetings all last week as we were preparing for our revival that started Sunday. As we met in different church members home last week, I could detect a real sense of longing in peoples hearts for a real move of the Holy Spirit. People were hungering after Him in a way that I haven't seen in a long time. I couldn't wait for prayer meeting each night and it was evident that many others felt the same way. We were drawing together in unity as a body of believers that were believing for a mighty move of the Spirit. We were desperate for a Word. Desperate for a touch. Desperate for Him. And it was good.

The truth of the matter is, we should feel such desperation and urgency to be in His presence every single day of our lives. We should wake up in the morning with a yearning to be with Him. Our feet should no sooner hit the floor than we should be headed some place quiet for some face-down time with our Lord and Savior. A time that we can just bask in His sweet presence and let Him just flow over us and through us. A time that we just prostrate ourselves before Him in true humility and surrender, ready to receive a fresh Word from the Throne of Grace. A time to focus on the One who is so worthy of our total, undivided attention.

Too many times, we just don't give God our complete focus.  We come before Him half-hearted. Distracted. In a hurry to finish and get somewhere else. We have too much on our minds. We have too many places to go. We have too many things to do that we think are more important or perhaps more beneficial to us. 

There is nothing in this world that could ever be more important than spending time with God.  We need to be in His Word. We need to be seeking His presence.  We need to be hungering and thirsting after a divine revelation from Him. There needs to be a true sense of urgency in our hearts to dig deep into His Word and study the scriptures! There are treasures to be found in the Holy Word of God. There are truths to unearth and there are lessons to be found in the inspired and God-breathed Word. 

We will never know who Jesus is if we don't take the time to get to know Him. He wants to be wanted. We must take the time to develop a personal and intimate relationship with the One who freely gave His life on the cross at Calvary for us. He shed that precious and perfect blood so that we could have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him. Redemption. Grace. Mercy. 

As we rise in the morning, let's awaken with a new song in our hearts. A song that propels us to the feet of Jesus, to worship and commune with Him that we might encounter His presence with a new longing. Let's fall to our faces in pure adoration of who He is and not get up until we have seen His glory in our midst. May we never be the same.

"My soul, wait thou only upon God;
for my expectation is from Him"
(Psalms 62:5)


Friday, March 9, 2012

Enough

I awaken from a peaceful sleep and feel
the urgency of the Holy Spirit to come and commune with Him.

I rise in eager expectation of sweet fellowship 
with my Lord.

I sit before Him in silence and await a Word. 
All I can hear is my heart beating in a desperate 
crescendo of sound.

The quiet is deafening but filled with 
the soft peace of His Spirit.

I can hear the distant song of my wind chimes 
singing a soft melody and it just floods my soul with joy.

As my spirit begins to enter into communion with His, I feel 
a quickening deep inside that fills my heart with expectation.

As His presence descends and fills the room, I am
almost overcome and rendered speechless. I can barely lift my 
head as the heaviness of Him presses in.

Just sitting in the presence of the Almighty completes me. As His
precious voice whispers softly to my heart, I feel a
contentment in my spirit like no other. I can almost
feel His hot Holy breath on my face as I sense the 
words that come forth.

"I'm enough. If you have nothing but me and my presence, I AM enough"

Yes, Lord. You are enough. You are more than enough. You fill my empty places. You restore the brokenness in my soul. You deliver me in my weakness and You conquer all that comes against me.
You are enough and I bask in your Holiness and I rest in your sweet embrace. I continue to be astounded at the power of your Name and the sweetness of your Mercy.  You are so good.

He is enough because He IS.


Friday, March 2, 2012

longing

The longing to hear God speak,
holds me captive,
occupies my thoughts 
and reaches out to me. 

The longing tugs at my heart and soul.

I listen. 
I worship.
I become motionless and
let my mind focus on His power and His goodness.

Standing still, I let God move.

Obeying... heeding... following.

Eyes closed and heart flung wide open. 
I sense His presence.
I feel His love  and I am 
ever mindful of His generous mercy and His sweet grace.

As He speaks, I feel the gentle breeze blow 
across my heart as His voice whispers, 'I am here'.

The electricity that shoots through my
body is overwhelming. I am overcome with 
the amazing truth of who He is.

He is speaking affirmation to my spirit. Acknowledging my
relationship with Him. Opening my eyes to
new revelations of Him. Stirring my soul to search
the hidden things. 

The deep things.

Echoing deep in the recesses of my being
with a yearning of immense proportion.

Speak life into me, Lord. Hear my cry.
Renew me that I may receive what you have for me.

As I yield myself fully to the calling you ordained, 
show me the direction you desire me to go. Guide my 
steps. Shape my path. Walk with me, Lord.

I close my eyes and feel your arms wrapped lovingly about me.

Embraced in the strength of your mighty hand. I know
you hold me close and will never let me go.  I am safe in 
your grasp. Fully sheltered under your wing. Caught in an
eternal embrace of my Savior.

Only you, Lord can occupy my thoughts and satisfy my longing. Only you can fill the yearning in my heart. You are my everything and I give you praise.