Coming Out The Other Side 190

"In all this greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. "
1 Peter 1:6, 7

"Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”    He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” "
Daniel 3:24, 25

February 1 is a milestone for me, as I returned to my "day job",
6 months and 1 day after I was hospitalized and almost died.
 I am here though, to testify of the goodness of the Lord.
Yes, there was travail, pain, tears, losses, but there were relationships revived,
spiritual gains for many,  encouragement that came from my friends and family,
amazing provision and love shown to me and my family.
Through all of this ordeal I never was depressed, rather,
I was joyful at the goodness of the Lord, and how He drew me closer,
and closer still.
In His presence is fullness of joy!
My Abba's tenderness and furious love was so evident in spite of what could've been taken as a dark time. I was pressed down, but not abandoned or destroyed!
Beloved, we are never alone; God is always with us, especially in the fire,
just as Jesus was in the furnace with Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego.
As I continue down the road of recovery, I know that I do not travel alone.  It is with the knowledge that God is with me, with those who seek Him, a very present help in the best of times and troublesome times alike.


"The Sovereign  Lord  is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, 
he enables me to tread on the heights.
Habakkuk 3:19 NIV

The Right Kind of Slave

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1

"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. "
Romans 6:17, 18 

I was reflecting during worship recently on one of the manifold attributes of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit brought to mind my life before Jesus, when I was a slave to sin, not righteousness. Interestingly, I thought of myself as a liberated, intelligent free thinker, my own man, and I followed the ways that seemed right to me, but I wasn't free at all. Inside of me there was a desperation, the sickening knowledge of being chained to evil and hopelessness, and the desperation was sometimes quiet, sometimes raging...the whole point of my life then was to eat, drink, and party to try to cover that desperation just like asphalt and black top paving covers a parking lot, but inevitably what is underneath sprouts through...
Then God came down, Jesus came to my heart because I believed, confessed, and asked Him to.
He broke off of me the crushingly heavy yoke of sin,  and I took up a new light and easy yoke that Jesus custom made to lift me up.
I am now a slave to righteousness, and my Master is not a cruel slave driver.
He has delivered me, revealed Himself to me as I seek Him,  given me precious gifts from on high. He has  made me a co-heir along with Him, and  calls me brother and friend.
His banner over us all is love, and woven into this fabric is His mercy, grace, lovingkindness, long suffering, power perfected in weakness, wisdom perfected not in reason but in obedience and faith, joy, and much more.

Power in His Name/Correlations

"Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)  When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground."
John 18:4-6

There is power in the name of Jesus! In this scripture the soldiers, officials, priests, and others came looking to arrest Jesus, I am uncertain exactly how many gathered to take one "man" into custody, but there was quite a crowd, and they got much more than they bargained for.
At the mere proclamation of Jesus revealing Himself,  "I am He", there was a supernatural shock wave that radiated outwards from Him, and they were literally blown off their feet!
As Christians, imitators of Jesus, we have been given authority to preach the Gospel, and over all m
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:18-20
Jesus tells us, encourages us, to use His name when we pray, as we work, as we live:
"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
John 14:13, 14
It's His power, not ours; it's by His Spirit, not by our strength or might, beloved, that Kingdom work is done. There is an inverse correlation regarding our weakness/ strength quotient: we are most likely to call on the name above all names when we realize how powerless and weak we really are. It is in the place of weakness that pride and arrogance have vanished and the heart cries are uttered...
"In the name of Jesus..."

A Valuable Lesson 206

"King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.  They were from nations about which the  Lord  had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.  As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the  Lord  his God, as the heart of David his father had been.  He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.  So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the  Lord ; he did not follow the  Lord  completely, as David his father had done. The  Lord  became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the  Lord , the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.  Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the  Lord 's command.  So the  Lord  said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates."
1 Kings 11:1, 2, 4-6, 9-11

King Solomon was visited twice by God Himself, you'd think that would be enough to keep him on the path of righteousness, right?  Wrong. Solomon, known as the wisest man to ever rule a nation, was warned, over and over again, not to take foreign wives, not to intermarry,  because his heart would be turned away from God, but he didn't listen. The very heavy price paid was his loss of godly wisdom, and on his descendants his sins were visited: the splintering of the kingdom and a legacy of heartbreak and disaster, as the descendants of Solomon did evil, following idols instead of El Shaddai, who had delivered them, loved them, cut a covenant with them, and performed so many miracles.
Are so many of us not like Solomon? God Himself has delivered us from our own slaveries, loved us furiously, provided for us, healed us, sent His Comforter and Helper, the Holy Spirit, and yet...many follow Solomon's path embracing the world.
God's eyes roam the earth looking for those with lovesick hearts, those who hunger and thirst for Him;  He desires relationship with us, but yet so many in the  Eklesia have been diluted and polluted spiritually, loving the things of this present darkness, having opened doors that should never have been opened.  A floodgate of evil then is released- the equivalent of Solomon embracing and fusing himself with unholy things, even after hearing the voice of The Lord. Conscience and discernment becomes dull, hearts become hardened and cold, and before you realize it, you are so far away from God, just like the Prodigal Son, or Solomon here in 1Kings 11:11.
But there is hope! The Lord says, " Return to Me and I will return to you" Zech. 1:3
No matter where you are beloved, God is still waiting with arms outstretched towards you!
As you run towards Him you will find that He meets you-with even greater vigor.

The Miracle of Grace 207

Pride  goes  before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18

There is a way that seems  right to a man,
But its end is the way of  death.
Proverbs 16:25

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the  Lord  a man avoids evil.
Proverbs 16:6

As a new believer reading the holy scriptures, I remember the shock and surprise I felt when I read about the fallings of  people in the Bible. I am talking about the fallings of many, who had the blessings of the Lord on their lives, ministries and kingdoms: Saul, David, Solomon, Samson,  and so many others, from days of old right up till today. Somehow I expected them, because of legend, to be flawless and perfect heroes, not to actually have been real people who had to deal with lust, anger, jealousy, and the corrupting impact of wielding absolute power. They all had confidence and pride in themselves- the result of forgetting that it is God alone who is our everything.
I remember thinking, even saying to the Lord, just as Peter said, reflecting the opinions of ten of the other disciples -"Jesus, I will never deny you, never turn my back on you, never be one of the fallen that I've read about in yout Word.  How naive of me, as I did not know what lay ahead of me, wasn't aware of the trials and temptations that would present themselves. I, like us all, would (and will) be tried, sifted, and refined, and as the storms swirl about the only safe place is found in Jesus, through the amazing grace He affords us.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– Ephesians 2:8 
All of us-all of us-sin and fall short (Rom.3:23),  and in these days as even the elect fall like flies,  my goal is simple:
Cling to Jesus as tightly as I can, thanking Him for His abundant grace, mercy, and redemption because of His finished work on the cross and strive to abide in Him.
I share the lyrical sentiments of the late Rich Mullins:"So hold me Jesus, I'm shaking like a leaf..."
Beloved, let us be ever mindful, never prideful...maintain our straight ahead focus, and not turn to the left or right.
As John Bradford said," There but for the Grace of God go I".

The Value of A Life 202

"In the beginning  was the Word, and the Word was  with God, and the Word was  God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and  the life was the light of men."
John 1:1-4

My daughter and I watched the classic 1946 movie, It's A Wonderful Life tonight.
Normally a holiday staple for us, the busy-ness of the season delayed its viewing until tonight.
This viewing  was a bit different for my daughter because she is at an age now of increased understanding, and asked a lot of questions.
In the movie, the main character, George Bailey, in the throes of feeling sorry for himself,
wants to end it all by committing suicide, but he  has an opportunity to see what the the impact of his life would be, and as most of us know, his never being born changed everything-for the worst.
He momentarily had taken his eyes off the prize, and when faced with the most seemingly difficult debacle of his life, he considered ending it all by suicide, but of course the movie has a very happy ending. Clarence the angel showed George the truth about the value and impact of his life on so many around him, even from a young age. In one scene, George saves his brother, Harry, from drowning in an icy pond, which cost him some of his hearing in his left ear. Harry grows up, thrives, joins the Air Force as WWII breaks out, and as a fighter pilot, shoots down two enemy planes that were about to attack an Allied troop transport. If George had never lived, Harry would've drowned in that pond, would not have been there to shoot down those enemy planes to keep them from sinking the troop transport and all those on board, hundreds of men, would've died, dramatically impacting the lives of countless others.

Jesus tells us to walk the narrow path as we imitate Him, to love God with all we've got, and to love  each other. We are to pick up our crosses daily, crucifying and denying our "selves", all the while understanding how valuable we are to our Creator God.
The path is narrow and it not level, no, it is rife with hills, steep dips, potholes, and all manner of "hazards".
Jesus tells us that "in this world we will have trouble, but we can take heart, because He has overcome the world."  In other words, it ain't easy!
This life is all about intimacy: knowing and loving God our Father,  the people that God has placed in our lives, and developing an understanding that however sometimes mysterious,
we all impact each other.
Beloved, you are so valuable! Think on these things today, as you as live, move, and have your being, reflecting His love and light, fulfilling God's purposes for your life, and being used to impact others.

Shining and Salty 196

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:13-16

Are you salty and shiny?
I was just at a conference where there was more than 25,000 fiery believers,
the ONETHING 2012 conference at International House of  Prayer Kansas City
(www.ihopkc.org ).
As a believer, it is so great to be in that environment where we are surrounded by others of similar mind and spirit. We are not made to remain in the "salt-shaker", however; Jesus calls us,
commands us, to go into all the world and preach the Good News and to make disciples.
We are all missionaries...have you ever thought of yourself in this way?
We often think this means a missions trip to Africa, India, China, the Middle East, the farthestmost parts of  the world-but the reality is that the mission field is immediately around us...from right inside the four walls of our own homes, that we would be most excellent examples, in word and more importantly, in deed, first to our own children and families. We are to be reflections of Jesus, and to radiate outwards...in every place we go, at our jobs and in the marketplace, every relationship,
God is arranging divine appointments.

Remember: We are in the world, but not of it, beloved! We are the ones that are called to "overcome the world", to be people of  the Jesus culture in these last days that will affect changes in our culture. We are to counter the pagan post-modern culture, by being imitators of Jesus and not to losing our "saltiness"-  having our witness diluted and polluted, thereby becoming ineffective for the Kingdom.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world." 
1 John 2:15, 16 

Contenders

Behold,  children are a heritage from the  Lord , 
the fruit of the womb a reward. 
Like arrows in the hand of  a warrior 
are the children  of one's youth. 
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! 
He shall not be put to shame when 
he contends with his enemies  in the gate. 
Psalms 127:3-5

Yesterday I bid my 19 year old daughter goodbye, at least for the time being.
It is difficult as a parent to let go, and yet is so necessary
She has begun a new phase of her life at university 600 miles away,
she has a new residence, and is an adult now,
stepping into all the privileges and responsibilities that go along with that.
There is separation anxiety, to be sure, mostly on my part I think,
but my anxiety is mitigated by what I know to be so true about her:
she loves the Lord Jesus, and mercy, grace, and lovingkindness
will follow her all the days of her life,
she has within her the spirit of Deborah...
wisdom, bravery, and a warrior's heart.
She is learning to be a contender for the Kingdom of God.

"Praise be to the  Lord  my Rock, who trains my hands for war,  my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge"
Psalms 144:1,2a

Trials & Triumphs 199

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

It is by trial that we are strengthened; in the furnace of tribulation our faith is forged.
There are situations and times of testing that are necessary.

However uncomfortable, it is under pressure and fires of affliction,
that in the Lord makes us bright and shiny.
Rough edges are burnished off and impurities burned out,
just as a diamond is created from common coal.
Rare and precious perfumes are created by the crushing of petals.

Let us cling tightly to the great promises, provision, and protection of a sovereign God who is our Abba-Father, for He purposes ALL THINGS, especially trials, for our good- and our growth.