Let the SONshine in....

Thoughts and Tidbits on Revival

2011-03-09T10:05:00.002-06:00

Josiah Generation at 940 S. McCrary Street in Woodbury, TN is in REVIVAL! We are in the midst of a Great Awakening and a powerful presence of God that is changing people. His presence is bringing life to dry bones, delivering those in bondage, and totally transforming lives.

I am overwhelmed and in awe at what God is doing and just thought I'd post a few tidbits that our pastors, Jr. & Loretta Rhodes have said during our services:

He is the Pearl of Great Price.....do we value Him enough?

Revival is passion, priority and commitment.

When God shows up the division that is already in the church becomes stirred up. Most people will blame the division on the Spirit of God/Revival....but, it was already there and God just revealed it.

Revival is: A fight for the restoration of the honor of God in the earth.

Revival restores the church to its original pattern--it's not an option.

Revival is not a fight to get the Kingdom of God to come, it's a fight to get our "kingdom" to go.

Martyrs are not those who look down the barrel of a gun, but those who decide life is not about them, but about giving their all to Jesus.

Satan cannot hold back a move of God--only I can hold back God.

Our worship of God must exceed our comfort.

The more of Jesus I get, the more I want!

Begin to live life out of who HE is, not who I am.

Deeper Still

2010-08-04T14:37:00.003-05:00

I've been reading a little from Heidi Baker's book Expecting Miracles. I just picked it up last night at this place:

When Ezekiel was drawn by the angel of the Lord, deeper and deeper into the river of God, eventually the water came up to his waist, and it was a river he could not cross. The water was deep enough to swim in. Ezekiel had come to the place of immersion. This is the place I am continually contending to be in my life. I pray there would be a holy hunger that rises up in you, too, so that you would begin contending for a life of full submersion and enter the place where your will is totally subject to His will, your spirit subject to His spirit. This is the place where the miracles can begin to happen.

The more immersed in God you become, the less of a grip "normal" life has on you. Circumstances throw themselves against you, but you remain unmoved.

Wow! How powerful! This is right where I want to be. I want to be immersed in the river of God, my will subject to His will, my spirit subject to His spirit.

What about you? Are you hungry for more of God?
(Ezekiel 47:1-12)

Psalm 51

2009-12-04T10:58:00.001-06:00

psalm51
Originally uploaded by Amydeanne

Lord, I long for a pure heart to follow after You. Help my heart to be pure and help me to follow Your direction in my life.

Where is the Battlefield?

2009-12-02T13:48:00.006-06:00

We are in a spiritual war. The location of this war, more often than not, is in our very own mind.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NIV)

³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (New International Version)

¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature^a]">[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

If we allow one single thought that is not of God into our minds and dwell on it for too long, we will allow a stronghold to be built in our lives.

So, what is a stronghold and how does this happen?

A stronghold is anything in our lives that prohibits us from being or doing our best for God.

How are they developed?

1. They begin with ungodly thoughts.

Matthew 15:17-20 (NIV)

¹⁷"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "

Philippians 4:6-8 (NIV)

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

³For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2. If we allow the thoughts and do not take them captive, they will turn into imaginations.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Genesis 11:1-6 (KJV)

¹And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

²And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

³And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

⁴And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

⁵And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

⁶And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

3. If we do not cast down the imaginations, they will become a stronghold.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (King James Version)

⁵Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

This is pretty powerful when you look at the supporting scriptures. Wow! My thoughts is where it all begins. That means that what I think about is VERY important. I'd better not dwell on things when I've been:

wronged
mistreated
ignored
betrayed
cheated
denied
rejected
unloved
etc., etc., etc.

As believers we will have all of these in our lives at one point or another. It's important to not dwell on them, but to think about good things. In essence we should always be "counting our blessings", not our disappointments. We should make lists of our blessings, not the things that will hinder our walk with God.

I want to be free of strongholds, don't you?

How Long Will You Waver Between 2 Opinions?

2009-11-12T12:38:00.002-06:00

1 Kings 18:21
"Elijah went before the people and said, 'How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal is God, follow him.' But the people said nothing."

The Winds of War
by Dustin Smith
The Lion of the tribe of Judah is roaring in the wilderness
His Kingdom is advancing and destroying all the powers of darkness
He's looking for His sons and daughters that they may be revealed
Those who fear Him and those who do His will

There are many giants that are trying to take our land
They come against us with sword and spear in their hands
But we come against them in the name of the Lord God Almighty
He's the Lord of hosts the God of the Angel Armies

Can you feel the fire? Can you see the rain?
Can you hear the winds of war are blowing in?

Let the nations tremble and fall on their knees
Let the church arise let it wake from its sleep
Let the earth be shaken hear the heavens roar
Sound the battle cry this is a holy war

How long will you waver between two opinions
If the Lord is God then stop chasing Baal and following him
God of Elijah turn your ear and hear our call
Rend the heavens and let us feel Your fire fall

Let us feel your fire. Let us see the rain
Let us hear your winds of war are blowing in

Let the nations tremble and fall on their knees
Let the church arise let it wake from its sleep
Let the earth be shaken hear the heavens roar
Sound the battle cry this is a holy war.

Let's not be a 'nothing speaking' people. Let's be a people that will choose God and speak for Him!!! Let's stand up and fight this war!!!

We Have Power In Jesus Christ

2009-10-22T13:26:00.003-05:00

Jesus has all power!! When we are born again, we, too can have the power that He has. He fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 61 and tells about it here in the passage in Luke.....

Luke 4:16-21

16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Isaiah 61

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

We, too have this power! Hallelujah! Why are we not using it? Why are we not seeing deliverance? Healings? Miracles? I think it is because we have become apathetic Christians. We are too prosperous and fat in this great nation. We don't want anything badly enough. We are not grieved by the works of the enemy badly enough to want to tear down his strongholds. We'd rather live with them in complacency than confront them. How sad and pitiful we've become. I want this power! Do you?

Jesus said in John 14:12-14....

12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

We are beginning to ask Jesus for His power to equip us for this type of ministry, because we want to see people saved and delivered. When they get saved we need to immediately pray for deliverance and cast out demons, so people are no longer tormented by them. There are too many Christians sitting on the pews in churches who are tormented by demons that are residing in them or hanging onto them. Why do we allow their very existence? We need wisdom and discernment to call them what they are and send them back to the very pit of hell.

God is beginning to do some mighty things and we are humbled to be a part of it. We just want to be His vessels. Are you ready to let God operate through you in a mighty way? Begin to pray and seek Him....He will show you what to do and how.

A New Thing

2009-09-10T07:31:00.013-05:00

Just as Isaiah’s words were powerful during Bible days….they still speak to us today. They speak to our very lives. There is a message for us to hear. Will we hear it? Will we become the people God has called and equipped us to be? Or, will we let the cares of this world keep us from allowing God to do a “new thing?”

Isaiah 42:5-9; 18-25
⁵ This is what God the LORD says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
⁶ "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
⁸ "I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
⁹ See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you."
¹⁸ "Hear, you deaf;
look, you blind, and see!
¹⁹ Who is blind but my servant,
and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one committed to me,
blind like the servant of the LORD ?
²⁰ You have seen many things, but have paid no attention;
your ears are open, but you hear nothing."
²¹ It pleased the LORD
for the sake of his righteousness
to make his law great and glorious.
²² But this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in pits
or hidden away in prisons.
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;
they have been made loot,
with no one to say, "Send them back."
²³ Which of you will listen to this
or pay close attention in time to come?
²⁴ Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the LORD,
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow his ways;
they did not obey his law.
²⁵ So he poured out on them his burning anger,
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand;
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

God is calling us to righteousness. He has made a covenant with us. We are His people. We are to be His vessels in bringing sight to the blind, freeing the captives, and releasing light into the darkness. But, we have begun to worship idols. We have become deaf and blind and have not paid attention to Him. We no longer listen to the Holy Spirit when He speaks to us. We’ve been looted and plundered by the enemy of our souls. We’ve become imprisoned by our own sins. We’ve turned from God and He will not come to our aid. He’s allowing us to become consumed by our own sin.

Isaiah 43:1-13

¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

³ For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.

⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.

⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.

⁶ I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-

⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

⁸ Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
who have ears but are deaf.

⁹ All the nations gather together
and the peoples assemble.
Which of them foretold this
and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
so that others may hear and say, "It is true."

¹⁰ "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.

¹¹ I, even I, am the LORD,
and apart from me there is no savior.

¹² I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.

¹³ Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?"

Yet always……He’s waiting for us to turn back to Him. Now…He says He will redeem us. He will call us by name once again. He will walk with us through the waters, the fire….whatever we may come up against in this life. We must open our eyes. We must hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks to us. We must go to the 4 corners of the earth to find those who’ve become consumed by their own sin and show them the way back to Him. We must declare that He is the one true God. There is none, but Him. We cannot lose that focus.

Isaiah 43:18-19

¹⁸ "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

His one desire is for us to look to Him for restoration. Restoration means to restore or bring back to a former or original condition. In Scripture, when something is restored it is always increased, multiplied or improved so that the latter state is considerably better than the former (consider Job).

Are you at a place where you need restoration? Will you seek the abundant life that God wants you to live? Let go of your past. Give it to the only One who can forgive and call you to repentance. Ask Him to deliver you from whatever holds you back; makes you blind or deaf. He says that He is doing a new thing. He’s making a way. We need to be expectant…waiting for Him to do it. We need to expect this “new thing” to be utterly amazing. That is how He operates; in new and different ways, yet His character never changes. He stays the same. Hallelujah! Join me in asking God to do a “new thing.” Let's make this a reality.

How?
1. Cleanse ourselves, repent & mourn(1 John 1:9, Matthew 4:17, Matthew 5:4, Lam.3:22-23)
2. Let the Refiner's Fire remove the dross (Malachi 3:2-3)

3. Trade our mourning for the oil of joy and put on a garment of praise(Jeremiah 31:13,Isaiah 61:3)

4. Wait for God to do the new thing!(Is. 42:9, Is. 43:19, Is. 48:6, Is. 62:2)

HE WILL!

Wild Goose Chase--Week 5--Sept. 2, 2009

2009-08-26T11:58:00.012-05:00

(This is a many-week series. I will just edit this post each week and add the notes for that particular week. I'll work hard to do it in a timely manner. So, please keep checking back.....)

We are on a chase for the “wild goose,” but it’s not a fruitless or unnecessary chase like the term has been used for in the past. I googled the term and it says a wild goose chase is a hopeless quest. To the contrary the wild goose chase is of the utmost importance!! The “wild goose” is the Holy Spirit (that’s the name the Celtic Christians gave to Him).

I am typing out my notes for you to enjoy. These are from a class I am taking at my church on Wednesday nights. Our Worship/Associate Pastor, Greg Lemley, is teaching the series of classes. The classes are based on the book Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

http://chasethegoose.com/

Week 1:

Who is the Wild Goose?

1. The Holy Spirit is a Person (not a force or an it)

2. The Holy Spirit has a Name and a Purpose (Comforter—One called alongside to help).

Four Elements of the Holy Spirit’s Personality:

1. Intellect (1 Cor. 2:11; Rom 8:26-27) He knows the thoughts of God and God’s will.

2. Feelings (Eph. 4:30) He can be grieved.

3. Will (1 Cor. 12:11) He has a plan and gives the gifts of the Spirit.

4. Actions (Acts 13:2) He speaks, testifies, convicts, intercedes, guides into truth, reveals God’s word.

In today’s world, we are given so many things and everything is much easier than it used to be. Therefore, we don’t want to have to do hard work or search for anything. We want everything handed to us. The Holy Spirit does not work that way. He is mysterious. He cannot be trapped or trained. When you go hunting, you spend a long time preparing for the hunt. We must prepare ourselves through repentance if we want to find the Holy Spirit. If you lose focus during the hunt or get distracted you may totally miss what you are hunting for. The same goes for the Holy Spirit. Keep your focus on seeking the Lord and living a repentant life, don’t get distracted by life and discontinue the search.

The Holy Spirit does not necessarily operate in a logical manner. Isaiah 55:8-9 says….”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways…”

We must SEEK to FIND the Holy Spirit.

Week 2: (I was holding a sleeping Caleb and Sandy took notes for me. Sorry, I don’t have any elaboration from this week.)

Living A Life of Spiritual Adventure

The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14) He is part of the three-in-one God!

The Holy Spirit Bears the Attributes of God

1. He is eternal

2. He is omniscient—all-knowing (John 16:12-13)

3. He is omnipotent

4. He is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10)

The Holy Spirit Also Does The Works of God

1. He is involved in creation (Genesis 1:2)

2. He is involved in regeneration (Psalm 104:30; Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 20:21-22)

3. He is involved in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16)

4. He is involved in resurrection (Romans 8:11)

Symbols of the Spirit

1. Wind

a. Hebrew word is Ruach

b. Greek word is pneuma

c. John 3:8

2. Water (John 7:37-38)

3. Oil (Luke 4:18)

4. Dove (Luke 3:22)

5. Seal (Ephesians 1:13)

At some point during this class, I remember someone mentioning that the clearest possible medium for sound is flame! Wow! Remember Moses and the burning bush???

Week 3:

Caged Christians: The Cage of Responsibility

Have churches done to people what zoos do to animals? Have churched tried to tame Christians in the name of Christ?

“Every man dies, but not every man really lives!” William Wallace Braveheart

Lesser responsibilities overtake the important.

All of us were born and all of us will die.

Our day-to-day responsibilities numb us to the possibilities around us and the passions within us.

We’ve become cages with the bars of ‘things to do’.

Matthew 8:21-22

²¹Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

²²But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

We must count the cost of following Jesus. We turn our responsibilities into excuses and lose great opportunities.

Responsible irresponsibility means refusing to allow our human responsibilities to get in the way of pursuing the passions God puts in our heart.

Do I let my day-to-day responsibilities drown out my passions. My greatest responsibility is to Jesus Christ.

A Biblical example of ‘responsible irresponsibility’ is Nehemiah. He was the cupbearer for the king. I’m sure that he did not have much skills in building a wall. But, he was willing to be used by God to rebuild the wall.

God often uses us at our point of greatest incompetence. Don’t let what you can’t do keep you from doing what you can in Him. He’ll let me be a vessel in the areas that ‘I can’t’. Will I let Him?

Responsibilities are the ‘cage’ that keeps us from chasing the Wild Goose. Am I being responsible about the right things--the God-ordained passions that He’s put within me?

Week 4:

The Cage of Routine

When the sacred becomes routine, we miss the adventure of the Wild Goose.

List some of the routines in your life:

EXODUS 3--Moses and the Burning Bush

¹ Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."

⁴ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
⁵ "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." ⁶ Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
⁷ The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
¹¹ But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
¹² And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you ^aan]">[a] will worship God on this mountain."
¹³ Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
¹⁴ God said to Moses, "I am who I am . ^b]">[b] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
¹⁵ God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, ^c]">[c] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
¹⁶ "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷ And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.'
¹⁸ "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.' ¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. ²⁰ So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
²¹ "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. ²² Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."

God can show up any place, any time and turn your life into a Wild Goose Chase.

We call them "divine appointments."

If you let routine rule your life, you'll never get where the Wild Goose wants you to go!

Exodus 3:4 (NLT) - "When the Lord saw that He had caught Moses' attention, God called to him from the bush, 'Moses! Moses!'"

Do you see how God has to "get" our attention? Will it take something so extraordinary for me?

Without routine, life can be chaotic. Here's the Catch 22: Once a routine becomes a routine, you need to disrupt it.

God doesn't want to be lip-sinced. He wants to be worshipped!

Sacred routines become empty rituals.

One of the greatest dangers we face spiritually is learning how and forgetting why!

How To Maintain Discipline While Changing Up The Routine:

1. Read a new translation

2. Start a fast

3. Keep a journal

4. Change your pace (speed up or slow down)

5. Change your place.

Mark 1:35 -- "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."
Luke 5:16 -- "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

When you change your pace and your place, you usually get a change of perspective!

The Wild Goose chase isn't just about getting to a particular destination; it's about enjoying the journey!

The Wild Goose keeps things crazy!

I like to say that He (the Wild Goose) keeps me stirred up! He does this when I let Him move in different ways in my life. He's doing that right now and I'm so thankful that He's stirring me. He's sifting me, too. That Refiner's Fire is pulling all the yuck to the surface.

What about you? Are you willing to let Him stir you, move you, get you out of routine?

When the sacred becomes routine, we miss the adventure of the Wild Goose.

Week 5:

The Cage of Assumptions

Please forgive me, Lord for letting my assumptions cage You in. I'm sorry for thinking that if You worked in a certain way last time, You will work in that exact same way today. Or, if You did not seem to move in a situation before, that You won't move in my situation today. Forgive me for assuming that You cannot be creative and do a new thing. Your Word says that Your mercies are new every morning and great is Your faithfulness. Your Word is full of the "new" things that You will do. Never let me forget that. I don't want to cage You in again. I want to always be expectant as I wait and watch for the 'new' thing that You will do--every single day! I trust You, Lord. Please open my eyes to see the 'new' things that You want to show me. In Jesus' Name, amen.

We miss the adventure of chasing the Wild Goose when we trust our assumptions more than we trust God.

8 FOOT CEILINGS

Gen. 15:1-6
Notice that God took Abraham outside. Why did God take Abraham outside?
God had to take Abraham out of his surroundings, so He could change Abraham's outlook by moving him out of his comfort zone. The ceiling was hiding the promise God wanted Abraham to see.

Are there any ceilings in your life? Anything that's keeping you from getting a panoramic view of God's promises?

We lose perspective when we lose sight of the promises of God.

Write down 3 promises of God from Scripture that you need to pull into your sight; that you need to remove the ceiling from.

Our biggest problem is that we don't think God is bigger than our biggest problem.
We reduce God to the size of our biggest problem.

CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS

Children don't make assumptions. They swim in the seas of possibilities.

Unfortunately, at some point in our lives, most of us stop asking questions and start making assumptions.

Romans 4:18-21
Faith is not logical. But it isn't illogical, either. Faith is theological.
Logic questions God. Faith questions assumptions.

What 8 ft. ceilings have you placed on God? What promises have you given up on? What assumptions are keeping you caged?

3 COMMON ASSUMPTIONS

1. I'm too old (Job 12:12).
2. I'm too young (1 Tim. 4:12).
3. I'm not ready (John 2:1-11).

Am I allowing who I am (one of the three things above) to keep me from being who I can be?

Last laugh......Read Genesis 21:1-7.
God followed through on His promise to Abraham and Sarah. He did it in a totally 'new' way.

Beloved--That is What God Calls Me

2009-08-26T10:01:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe that He thinks like this about me...I am very humbled.

You're My Beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me My love

You're Beautiful to Me
So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy
Come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You're Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your care down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I'll breathe My life inside of you
I'll bear you up on eagle's wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I'll take you to My quiet waters
I'll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole

You're My beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is my delight
Come away with me my love

B.A.T.T.L.E.

2009-08-26T08:17:00.003-05:00

Everyday is a battle. A battle to do what I should. A battle against the enemy of my soul.

I need to remember that battling is easiest, best, most efficient, and has results when I battle through PRAISE AND WORSHIP. When we praise, we are on the frontline! Jehoshaphat knew the importance of worship, so he strategically positioned the worshipers ahead of his army. "He appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: 'Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever'" (2 Chron. 20:21).

He didn't do that so the singers could get killed while the soldiers hid behind them. He didn't do that because he thought the worshipers were expendable and easily replaced. He didn't do it because he was trying to trick the enemy into thinking they were facing a bunch of unarmed musicians who were naive enough to believe they could serenade their enemy to death.

The reason he put the worshipers in the front was because their worship exalted God above all else. And nothing could prevail against the living God. The result was that when they faced the enemy with praise and worship, this so confused the enemy that they destroyed one another.

"To be in the will of God requires us to put on the armor of God and go to battle against the enemy. Worship is our greatest weapon in B.A.T.T.L.E. Bringing Attention To The Lord's Excellence. That is worship." Roz Thompson

When King Hezekiah faced a strong enemy, he told his people, "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or dismayed....for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles." (2 Chron. 32:7-8)

I've been praying some of the prayers from Stormie Omartian's books for many weeks now. I see God moving in powerful ways. The prayers are fresh and new every morning. I thought they would become rote, you know? But, they aren't and God is doing what we're asking for in prayer. I see His hand at work. I am also finding myself praying in a fresh, new and spontaneous way because of the obedience of praying these prayers. Praise the Lord!!!!

If you are in a battle (aren't we all??), pray this prayer from Stormie Omartian's book, The Prayer That Changes Everything...

Lord, I worship You as Lord over everything. I praise You as my Almighty, all-powerful King. You are the ruler of my life and the rock upon which I stand. Because of You I cannot be shaken. Thank You that "by You I can run against a troop. By my God I can leap over a wall." As for you, Lord, You are a "shield to all who trust" in You (Psalm 18:28-30).
You deliver me from the enemy who is too strong for me (Psalm 18:17).
I will "not be afraid nor dismayed" because of the force of evil that comes against me for I know that the battle is not mine, but it is Yours. I know that I will not need to fight this battle alone. Instead, I will position myself in a stance of praise and worship toward You, and I will stand still and see Your salvation, for You are with me (2 Chron. 20:15-17).
Thank You, Lord, that my enemies will fall and perish at Your presence (Psalm 9:3).

Lord, I praise You as my Deliverer and thank You that You will deliver me from my enemies. I know that "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" (Eph. 6:12).
You will lift me up above those who rise against me and deliver me from the violent forces that oppose me. "Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face" (Psalm 5:8).
I give thanks to You, Lord, and sing praises to Your name (Psalm 18:49).
Thank You that You always lead us in triumph in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14).
I will sing praise to Your name (Psalm 7:17).
Day and night I will call upon You to save me. I know You will hear my voice and redeem my soul in peace from the battle that is against me (Psalm 55:16-18).
You, Lord, have the "power to help and to overthrow" (2 Chron. 25:8).
I know that you are my defender and You will fight for me (Psalm 7:10). And when the battle is over, I will be able to say this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in my eyes (Psalm 118:23).

Amen and Amen. Watch and see what the Lord will do!!!

You Alone Are God, You Are God Alone

2009-08-24T08:14:00.003-05:00

I found this in my search online this morning and love the lyrics to this song. Especially the chorus. I love the lines that say: You alone are God, You are God alone and I am just singing this to Him this morning. Join me!

[Verse 1:]
There's no question of Your greatness,
no searching of Your power.
All the wonder of Your glory,
to You forty years is but one hour.
Your knowledge is all encompassing,
to Your wisdom there is no end;
for You alone are God,
You are God alone.

[Verse 2:]
Your mercy is everlasting,
Your truth is here always.
You are He who was and is, and is to come.
Who is He that can number you day,
You've flung the sun to burn in space,
and the night's moon powers light from day;
You alone you're God,
You are God alone.

[Chorus:]
Now unto the King,
eternal, immortal, invisible,
the only wise God,
the only wise God;
You alone are God,
for You are God alone.

[Vamp:]
Be all glory and honor,
dominion, and power
forever and ever, amen.

[Ending:]
For You alone are God,
You are God alone.

By Marvin Sapp

There is a video of him singing this on Tangle here: http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=733fb642f90df1d2b580

I Worship You, Almighty God

2009-08-24T07:55:00.001-05:00

This song has been on my heart this morning. I just had to sing it to my Lord and searched the internet for it. Here it is....thought I'd share it with you!

Does Your Family Know You Love Them? Find Out...

2009-08-21T07:58:00.005-05:00

Ask each member of your family how they know you love them by asking them to write down the ways.

Here's what I did. I gave each member of my family a piece of paper at the top that said

The Things You Do That Show Me You Love Me:
1.

2.

3.

and so on......

I asked them to fill it out based on me (wife/mom). I got some sweet answers (well, from the kids....David's still thinking on his). Oops, probably means I'm not doing so well with him. :0(

I started with my husband and I wrote one out to show him the things that he does that shows me that he loves me. I realize now that I need to write ones out to each of my children, also.

It's just a real eye opener that will show you how they feel loved. It will probably pinpoint their "love language", too. (if you don't already know it.).

A neat idea for the weekend! Enjoy! You might even be surprised at what says "I love you"!!

Watchfulness

2009-08-20T10:18:00.003-05:00

I need to be in a perpetual state of watchfulness over my heart. Do you ever feel like the minute you let your guard down...the enemy comes in and just takes over? I must stay watchful; always on guard! Sometimes it's very obvious and other times it is so subtle, I almost don't see it or I miss it completely until I am so far gone that my attitudes and actions do NOT glorify the Lord. How do I get to that point? It's by letting down my guard, not being watchful, putting down my Sword, becoming distracted by worldly, ungodly things. These things entice and draw....but, the Holy Spirit's draw should be stronger in a believer's life. Notice the words 'should be'. Paul even says in Romans 7:18-25:

¹⁸I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²²For in my inner being I delight in God's law; ²³but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ²⁴What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Although my flesh continues to draw me to sin, the Holy Spirit maintains within me a desire for holiness. (1 John 3:9) What diligence and watchfulness is required of me when this enemy in my soul is ready to oppose every effort I make to do good! I must stay watchful; always on guard!

The Bible tells us that the heart is deceitful and unsearchable to any but God alone (Jeremiah 17:9-10). We do not know our own hearts. My heart is deceitful. My heart excuses, rationalizes, justifies my actions. It blinds me to the sin in my life. I must stay watchful; always on guard! I must ask God daily to search my heart and show me the sin that I cannot see. Psalm 139:23-24 says:

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

It is my own evil desires that tempt me to sin. (James 1:14) Oh, so true! I need to realize that the problem lies within me. I must stay watchful; always on guard!

The "accuser" uses discouragement as his chief weapon to keep me off guard. He wants to keep me discouraged so that the good I am doing does not seem to be working. He wants me to give up in my 'pursuit of holiness'. This deceit from my chief enemy draws me away from the Lord little by little and I become susceptible to listening to his lies and I am drawn away from watchfulness through discouragement. I say to myself, "what's the use...I'll never be good enough to be a vessel for the Lord. I just keep messing up." I must stay watchful; always on guard!

OR

Satan will use the fact that I am staying watchful and really keeping my guard up and he will lie to me and tell me that I am beyond temptation. What a lie! Do I fall for that? Do I look at someone else's sin and say, I'll never be tempted by that?" I must be careful in my watchfulness...that's why it's important to have brothers and sisters in Christ who will help to watch my back. Who will come to me and lovingly remind me that it is only the power of God in my life that will keep me from temptation and sin. I must not be drawn away from watchfulness by overconfidence. I must stay watchful; always on guard!

I must remember that my fight against sin will never end. My heart will deceive me, my desires will lead me into temptation and my reason is constantly in danger of being deceived. I must stay watchful; always on guard!

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

My thoughts and notes from a Bible Study on the Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges

Never Weary in Doing Good

2009-08-18T20:27:00.007-05:00

Galatians 6:7-9 (New International Version)

⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

God's Law of Sowing and Reaping:

When someone ignores God, intentionally or unintentionally, he or she is sowing bad seed. According to these verses, what kind of harvest will that person reap?
A harvest of destruction

When someone pursues God, what kind of seed is that person sowing--good or bad?
Good seed

If you sow good seed, what kind of harvest will you reap?
A harvest of life

Why do you think people who sow good seed sometimes grow weary and lose heart?
Because we expect the harvest to come sooner than it sometimes does, and we lose patience.

And while we're just beginning to sow good seed and are longing for the good harvest, we're still reaping what kind of fruit if we sowed bad seed earlier?
A bad harvest. (A light bulb goes off) I'm caught between harvests.

While sowing your good seed, you may still be reaping from the old harvest. The good harvest, the harvest of life, hasn't yet come to fruition. Therefore, you're living under the false illusion that efforts to sow good seed are ineffective.

It's always too early to give up and it's always too early to lose hope. If you give up, once you've started sowing that good seed, you'll start sowing the bad seed again and that will destroy the production of the good harvest.
(Dialogue from a book by Randall Arthur)

Once you start to sow that good seed again, God sees the heart of His child and sometimes will be merciful in the reaping of the bad seed and very gracious in the reaping of the good seed. So hang on. If you've lived a life that is not pleasing to God and are trying now to please Him, do NOT get weary in doing good (sowing good seeds) for you will reap a good harvest...eventually. Remember God's ways are not our ways....."Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:6-9)

Be encouraged....we've all been at the point of giving up at one time or another. The times that I gave up, I eventually had to start all over in the same process and just wasted precious time.

When I pressed through the hard times (when I wanted to give up with everything in me), God blessed way beyond I ever dreamed. Those good seeds always produced a harvest of life!! It was not easy, but God gave me the strength to endure and He will do the same for you.

Something to Think About

2009-08-18T07:29:00.002-05:00

"There's one thing I've learned about human nature over the years. It's simple and important. You often never know about the people whose lives you change. In this world, it's easy to recognize the mistakes you see in someone's life and to blame yourself for them. But you never see the mistakes someone might have made if not for your touch. You never realize that people are still going on because of what you may have said to them or because of what you may have shown them. Just by being who you are."

From a book I'm reading by Deborah Bedford. This was a pastor speaking to a woman who had lost her grown son to death and because of something that had happened between them, she had not seen him for 5 years when he died.

When I read this particular part of the book, it really spoke to me. I kept reading it and re-reading it. What a profound statement. We all would do well to remember it. Let's not dwell on the past, ladies.....let's look to the future and ask God to point us in the direction where we can touch someone's life for the good.

We Are On A Spiritual Journey

2009-08-16T19:25:00.002-05:00

God is moving and stirring us. He’s giving us a hunger for more of Him like we’ve not had in a very long time. Why has it been so long? The dry times are just that….very dry! Sometimes we forget what it’s like to be close to God and hear Him speak and feel the Holy Spirit guiding us. Forgive us, Lord.

Some things we feel like God is saying:
Get out of the rut you are in
Seek me with all of your heart
Seek me without an agenda and see what I will do

Some things we are praying for:
Repentance
Revival within
The fire of God to burn within us
A moving of His Holy Spirit that will shock and awe

God gave us the Scripture from Psalm 32:8 last night:
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

He’s telling us to seek Him and allow Him to lead us on this journey, not to go with any preconceived notions of what He will do…just go. Not to be looking down at our feet with each step we take, not to look behind us at where we’ve come from, and not looking ahead contemplating where the journey will lead us, but to look to Him and focus on Him…His eyes…because that is how He will guide us. Just as Peter began to sink when he climbed out of that boat and let his eyes focus on the wind around him and not on the One who was guiding him. If he had kept his eyes on Jesus, he could have continued to walk right on top of the water (Matthew 14:22-33). We too, would like to ‘walk on water’ in a spiritual sense. We want to be a family of great faith in our Lord and Savior and not be doubters.

‘Eye contact’ with our precious Savior should bring us to greater depths of intimacy with Him. We are excited about this ‘journey’ and cannot wait to see what God will do.

I Love This Worship Song

2009-08-16T16:56:00.013-05:00