http://media.sermonindex.net/14/SID14690.mp3
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Marie Monsen
One of the outstanding instruments God has used for the reviving of the churches in northern China is Miss Marie Monsen. One of her own coworkers describes her coming to Chenping, one of the stations of the Norwegian Lutheran Mission in Honan, in effect as follows:
How God Prepared Special Instruments for Use in "The second of November of 1931 we were in Beginning and Carrying Forward the Work of the pressibly gladdened by the news that Miss Marie Revival. Monsen had returned to our field and was then at Nanyang. The early summer of 1927 God had sent her from Shanghai to Manchuria and later to Chili, Shantung, and Shansi. In these various places God had used her in a marvelous way for the reviving of the churches. "It seemed strange that she should thus be taken away from us to be used in the reviving of the churches elsewhere while we were longing and praying for a revival on our own field.
"Our older missionaries had quietly but tearfullly striven with God in view of the deadness of the churches. But with the news of God's visitation of the other churches our prayers took on new life. With every letter from Miss Monsen our prayers received a new impetus and became more intense as the time went on, until finally they were in the nature of distress calls. God, who is no respecter of persons, can not but send Miss Monsen back to us and make use of her among us as He has used her in the northern provinces.
"Then the news reached us that she would be with us at our annual conference at Chenping from November 13 to 15. There was a general feeling of expectancy as we journeyed to this meeting, and we were not disappointed in our expectations. It was a never-to-be-forgotten experience to have her again in our midst.
"Already at this meeting it became clear to us that God had fashioned Miss Monsen into a seasoned soul winner through the experiences she had gone through in the north, and that she was in possession of a power from God that was well nigh irresistible.
"The first text she used was from the third chapter of the Gospel of John, `Ye must be born anew.' The greater part of this address consisted in short questions, cast forth with holy, penetrating seriousness: `Why are you a Christian? Is it not that you wish to enter heaven? What does Jesus say here? "Except ye be born anew, ye can not enter the kingdom of God." Ye can not, ye can not.' These words sank like lead into the hearts of the listeners.
"The next text was from Rev. 20. 12, about the sins that were written in the books with such clear ness. `Also in Jer. 17. 1 we see that your sins are written "with a pen of iron" on the tablets of flesh in your hearts so that no one can erase them.'
"Other texts were, Mark 14. 3-11, about Judas. `He was a preacher of the gospel; he was a member of the church; he was a disciple. But he was false; he was a thief. Are you a preacher of the gospel, or are you a thief T
"She aimed in the first place at our leaders and the workers in our congregations. She spoke from Prov. 28. 13, about covering one's transgressions. All are born with an inclination to cover their sins. Other texts used were, Is. 59. 1-4, `Your iniquities have separated between you and your God': Is. 64. 6, `Our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment'; 1 Cor. 6. 9, with the question, `Is this a catalog of your sins? Read and find out if your sins are there.' Also Mark 7. 21-23, with the same question and the same admonition.
"Then came John 1. 14, `He is "full of grace and truth," He will not permit you to remain full of falsehood and deceit.' And Is. 1. 18, `If you will only acknowledge your sins before God they "shall be white as snow."' Finally there was an address to believers about being in the will of God. `The unsaved have God's will behind them. The saved have God's will before them. Some are in God's will; others are outside of it. They try to stretch God's will so as to make it conform to theirs.'
"At the end of each service she took her place near the door, and few were those who managed to get by without having the question asked them, `Are you saved? 'It felt like the thrust of a sword,' they explained afterwards. After the next meeting they received another sword-thrust, `Are you still on the road to destruction.
"Many came to see her and to confess their sins, but she sent them away, some as often as three to four times. They were not in a condition of real need. `Pray that God's Spirit may enlighten you concerning your sins,' was the admonition they received to take away with them. She never tired of admonishing us, `Do not gather unripe fruit.'
"After the annual meeting there was a special meeting for workers and leaders. Those who were present told of the powerful working of the Holy Spirit manifest at these meetings. During the course of the meetings Miss Monsen spent one night in prayer before she could find courage to step up to Pastor Han Liu Ging and tell him she was afraid he did not have life in God. He came under deep conviction and after two days found release.
"He said afterwards that there was something that melted within him when she took him aside. He felt the love of God was impelling her and that he must give in. Later on he became Miss Monsen's helper during a series of meetings, and is one among those God has used to further the revival.
"Pastor Liu Dao Sheng was another leader who had been used of God with much blessing. At these meetings he also experienced a renewal and em-powering. His eyes were opened to the need of bringing people to the point of being saved and re-leased from the power of sin. Together with others who had experienced renewal, he began immediately to enter the work as a definite soul-winner. Liu Dao Sheng became Miss Monsen's chief helper as long as she remained on the field of the Norwegian Lutheran Mission, and he is perhaps the one God has used the most since her departure.
"Miss Monsen's plan was first to destroy the false security of the church members. She spoke of the various kinds of patches the unsaved used to hide behind when they tried to persuade themselves they were saved. Then she spoke of sin, one sin at a time. It had cost her several days of prayerful struggle before she became willing, as she expressed it, to `descend into the miry cesspool of sin' in connection with the sixth commandment, against adultery. But it turned out that one of Satan's well-nigh impregnable strongholds was at last broken into when this particular sin was brought out into the open.
"Another text that was laid heavily on her consciousness was, `It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.' People by means of this text were placed face to face with God.
"Finally, the words of gracious promise from the Scriptures came as balm on open sores. `Unless He, who was without sin, had been made sin for us, God could never have said to the sinner, Come, when you are in earnest about your sins, God, who can not away with sin, will speak words of comfort to your heart.
"At each series of meetings there was no pronounced movement or great visible result. She was ever alert to hinder strong emotional outbursts, or public confession. Everything was done quietly. After she was gone it became evident that God's Spirit had plowed deep furrows. We could begin to gather in the harvest of souls."
As we ponder this gripping narrative by one of Miss Monsen's co-workers we are bound to ask ourselves, what is the secret of the power this worker of God possesses? Is there anything in her nature or bringing up that would give a clue to the effectiveness of her service? What means did God use to bring about such marvelous results in her own life, and through her in the lives of others?
We are indebted to another of Miss Monsen's coworkers, Mrs. Karoline Samset, of Laohokow, for some intimate touches regarding her youth and early training and first impressions on meeting her before she was sent out to China as a missionary under the N. L. K. Board.
"Miss Monsen was confirmed in the church of Sandviken in the outskirts of Bergen, Norway, under the charge of Rev. Grimnes, the pastor of the church, who was of great spiritual help to her during these formative years. Elder Tormod Retterdal of the China Society was of especially great help to her in a spiritual way. According to her own testimony she never tired of listening to him as he always had so much to offer."
It appears that from early childhood Miss Monsen loved to wander about among the mountains and hills of her native land, and when school vacation arrived she always set her gaze towards the high mountains. The majestic Jotunheimen and other tall peaks were familiar places loved by her.
The year she was to take her examination for teacher's certificate she was too young by one year, and it was just at this time that she came to clarity regarding her call to the mission field.
It was in 1898 in the Laksevag church in Bergen that Mrs. Samset first learned to know of Miss Mon-sen, who was later destined to become her close friend and co-worker. The Rev. Prydz was occupying the pulpit and the text was, "Thy kingdom come." During the course of the sermon the preacher mentioned the name of a young woman who had sought for acceptance by the China Society to be sent to China. The Board had asked her to testify as to her spiritual life and outlook. During their conversation, the Rev. Prydz and Miss Monsen had both agreed that it was impossible to explain just how they had become heirs of the kingdom. The main emphasis in his sermon at this time was on the kingdom of God within us.
The following year we find Miss Monsen at Lovisenberg Hospital and Training School in Oslo as the choice of the China Society's Board for work in China. Through a friend whom Miss Monsen had nursed, Mrs. Samset came for the first time into direct contact with her. She relates:
"It was evident from the first moment of contact with her that Miss Monsen was an unusually gifted woman. She possessed considerable originality of mind, and, as a rule, was never found treading the beaten paths. In contact with the deaconesses at Lovisenberg she was never afraid of expressing her opinion freely. In those days such behavior was not always well received, so she had many heavy burdens to carry at that time, but she was always ready to take the part of those who were weak.
"She wrote to Brandtzeg, then General Secretary of the Board from Lovisenberg, `Verily, you have sent me to the North Pole.' He replied, `Yes, but I know that you have both pick and axe so you can dig yourself out again.' She made it, and when she was the hardest pressed, the head physician came to her assistance.
"From that time on her life was unusually rich in experiences. She grew up in a home where she was supplied with only the necessaries of life. Money has never appealed to her as of any worth. She has always been willing to extend help to such as were in need. `Prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven.' She has done this and the Lord has never permitted her to come to grief.
"She has gone to the steamships without money to buy a ticket; she has traveled by rail across the United States without provisions; she has made a journey to the Northland without a steamer berth. `Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of.' This verse came to her at one time when she was suffering from hunger. She was led to a loaded table without the payment of money, and afterwards was in a position to help a fellow traveler who was on his way to tell his mother that there is no God. She has stuck to the promises, and God has never failed her. But to surrender everything unconditionally into the hand of God is not a lesson that is learned in one day. She has had to go through the deep waters to come to the place of utter dependence on God.
"When she came to China in the fall of 1901, her health failed her. She fell down a stairway in Shanghai and sustained a concussion of the brain, and when she arrived on the field she was taken down with a bad attack of malaria, so that even her life was despaired of.
"She was very much handicapped in her language studies the first few years. She struggled against the malaria, and her head gave her constant pain. During the summer of 1906 she was healed through prayer. Since that time the Lord has been her Great Physician, and she has needed His help on more than one occasion.
"Something that has always stood out before me as remarkable is her prayer life. She has always been an early riser, and the first two or three hours of the day have been holy to the Lord. The precious dewdrops from the Lord's altar have sustained her step by step on the way of sanctification.
"As a co-worker she was always sympathetic and considerate, and, on the whole, easy to get along with. Her aim was to go the way of the Lord and do His errands, so that also out here it was never a question with her of following the beaten paths. Consequently there were times when some stood wondering and questioning. But that it has paid her to follow the way of the Lord and to be in His will, that has been amply shown by her life during recent years."
This sketch of the life and work of Miss Monsen would be entirely inadequate if we left out all reference to an experience she had in the spring of 1929 when she was marvelously kept during twenty-three days of captivity at the hands of a band of sea rovers who had captured the ship she was traveling on from Tientsin, to meet an appointment to hold meetings at Hwanghsien in Shantung.
The story of this adventure in faith and dependence upon the Lord was told by Miss Monsen in her own characteristic way in an address before the Peitaiho Conference in North China, July 29, 1929, and recorded in a booklet, "We Are Escaped," published by the China Inland Mission in 1931.
In reading this wonderful testimony to God's faithfulness and power to help those who trust fully in Him, we are impressed by the place and value of prayer in the scheme of God's government of the world, as well as by the wonderful provision of God for our every need, if we are only willing to trust Him to undertake for us.
There is no doubt but that Miss Monsen's experiences during those twenty-three days on that bandit-ridden ship were a means in God's hand to prepare her for greater work for Him during the years that followed. The narrative is full of interest from be-ginning to end.
From China in Revival
By Gustav Carlberg
excerpt from Chapter 3; Revival
How God Prepared Special Instruments for Use in "The second of November of 1931 we were in Beginning and Carrying Forward the Work of the pressibly gladdened by the news that Miss Marie Revival. Monsen had returned to our field and was then at Nanyang. The early summer of 1927 God had sent her from Shanghai to Manchuria and later to Chili, Shantung, and Shansi. In these various places God had used her in a marvelous way for the reviving of the churches. "It seemed strange that she should thus be taken away from us to be used in the reviving of the churches elsewhere while we were longing and praying for a revival on our own field.
"Our older missionaries had quietly but tearfullly striven with God in view of the deadness of the churches. But with the news of God's visitation of the other churches our prayers took on new life. With every letter from Miss Monsen our prayers received a new impetus and became more intense as the time went on, until finally they were in the nature of distress calls. God, who is no respecter of persons, can not but send Miss Monsen back to us and make use of her among us as He has used her in the northern provinces.
"Then the news reached us that she would be with us at our annual conference at Chenping from November 13 to 15. There was a general feeling of expectancy as we journeyed to this meeting, and we were not disappointed in our expectations. It was a never-to-be-forgotten experience to have her again in our midst.
"Already at this meeting it became clear to us that God had fashioned Miss Monsen into a seasoned soul winner through the experiences she had gone through in the north, and that she was in possession of a power from God that was well nigh irresistible.
"The first text she used was from the third chapter of the Gospel of John, `Ye must be born anew.' The greater part of this address consisted in short questions, cast forth with holy, penetrating seriousness: `Why are you a Christian? Is it not that you wish to enter heaven? What does Jesus say here? "Except ye be born anew, ye can not enter the kingdom of God." Ye can not, ye can not.' These words sank like lead into the hearts of the listeners.
"The next text was from Rev. 20. 12, about the sins that were written in the books with such clear ness. `Also in Jer. 17. 1 we see that your sins are written "with a pen of iron" on the tablets of flesh in your hearts so that no one can erase them.'
"Other texts were, Mark 14. 3-11, about Judas. `He was a preacher of the gospel; he was a member of the church; he was a disciple. But he was false; he was a thief. Are you a preacher of the gospel, or are you a thief T
"She aimed in the first place at our leaders and the workers in our congregations. She spoke from Prov. 28. 13, about covering one's transgressions. All are born with an inclination to cover their sins. Other texts used were, Is. 59. 1-4, `Your iniquities have separated between you and your God': Is. 64. 6, `Our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment'; 1 Cor. 6. 9, with the question, `Is this a catalog of your sins? Read and find out if your sins are there.' Also Mark 7. 21-23, with the same question and the same admonition.
"Then came John 1. 14, `He is "full of grace and truth," He will not permit you to remain full of falsehood and deceit.' And Is. 1. 18, `If you will only acknowledge your sins before God they "shall be white as snow."' Finally there was an address to believers about being in the will of God. `The unsaved have God's will behind them. The saved have God's will before them. Some are in God's will; others are outside of it. They try to stretch God's will so as to make it conform to theirs.'
"At the end of each service she took her place near the door, and few were those who managed to get by without having the question asked them, `Are you saved? 'It felt like the thrust of a sword,' they explained afterwards. After the next meeting they received another sword-thrust, `Are you still on the road to destruction.
"Many came to see her and to confess their sins, but she sent them away, some as often as three to four times. They were not in a condition of real need. `Pray that God's Spirit may enlighten you concerning your sins,' was the admonition they received to take away with them. She never tired of admonishing us, `Do not gather unripe fruit.'
"After the annual meeting there was a special meeting for workers and leaders. Those who were present told of the powerful working of the Holy Spirit manifest at these meetings. During the course of the meetings Miss Monsen spent one night in prayer before she could find courage to step up to Pastor Han Liu Ging and tell him she was afraid he did not have life in God. He came under deep conviction and after two days found release.
"He said afterwards that there was something that melted within him when she took him aside. He felt the love of God was impelling her and that he must give in. Later on he became Miss Monsen's helper during a series of meetings, and is one among those God has used to further the revival.
"Pastor Liu Dao Sheng was another leader who had been used of God with much blessing. At these meetings he also experienced a renewal and em-powering. His eyes were opened to the need of bringing people to the point of being saved and re-leased from the power of sin. Together with others who had experienced renewal, he began immediately to enter the work as a definite soul-winner. Liu Dao Sheng became Miss Monsen's chief helper as long as she remained on the field of the Norwegian Lutheran Mission, and he is perhaps the one God has used the most since her departure.
"Miss Monsen's plan was first to destroy the false security of the church members. She spoke of the various kinds of patches the unsaved used to hide behind when they tried to persuade themselves they were saved. Then she spoke of sin, one sin at a time. It had cost her several days of prayerful struggle before she became willing, as she expressed it, to `descend into the miry cesspool of sin' in connection with the sixth commandment, against adultery. But it turned out that one of Satan's well-nigh impregnable strongholds was at last broken into when this particular sin was brought out into the open.
"Another text that was laid heavily on her consciousness was, `It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.' People by means of this text were placed face to face with God.
"Finally, the words of gracious promise from the Scriptures came as balm on open sores. `Unless He, who was without sin, had been made sin for us, God could never have said to the sinner, Come, when you are in earnest about your sins, God, who can not away with sin, will speak words of comfort to your heart.
"At each series of meetings there was no pronounced movement or great visible result. She was ever alert to hinder strong emotional outbursts, or public confession. Everything was done quietly. After she was gone it became evident that God's Spirit had plowed deep furrows. We could begin to gather in the harvest of souls."
As we ponder this gripping narrative by one of Miss Monsen's co-workers we are bound to ask ourselves, what is the secret of the power this worker of God possesses? Is there anything in her nature or bringing up that would give a clue to the effectiveness of her service? What means did God use to bring about such marvelous results in her own life, and through her in the lives of others?
We are indebted to another of Miss Monsen's coworkers, Mrs. Karoline Samset, of Laohokow, for some intimate touches regarding her youth and early training and first impressions on meeting her before she was sent out to China as a missionary under the N. L. K. Board.
"Miss Monsen was confirmed in the church of Sandviken in the outskirts of Bergen, Norway, under the charge of Rev. Grimnes, the pastor of the church, who was of great spiritual help to her during these formative years. Elder Tormod Retterdal of the China Society was of especially great help to her in a spiritual way. According to her own testimony she never tired of listening to him as he always had so much to offer."
It appears that from early childhood Miss Monsen loved to wander about among the mountains and hills of her native land, and when school vacation arrived she always set her gaze towards the high mountains. The majestic Jotunheimen and other tall peaks were familiar places loved by her.
The year she was to take her examination for teacher's certificate she was too young by one year, and it was just at this time that she came to clarity regarding her call to the mission field.
It was in 1898 in the Laksevag church in Bergen that Mrs. Samset first learned to know of Miss Mon-sen, who was later destined to become her close friend and co-worker. The Rev. Prydz was occupying the pulpit and the text was, "Thy kingdom come." During the course of the sermon the preacher mentioned the name of a young woman who had sought for acceptance by the China Society to be sent to China. The Board had asked her to testify as to her spiritual life and outlook. During their conversation, the Rev. Prydz and Miss Monsen had both agreed that it was impossible to explain just how they had become heirs of the kingdom. The main emphasis in his sermon at this time was on the kingdom of God within us.
The following year we find Miss Monsen at Lovisenberg Hospital and Training School in Oslo as the choice of the China Society's Board for work in China. Through a friend whom Miss Monsen had nursed, Mrs. Samset came for the first time into direct contact with her. She relates:
"It was evident from the first moment of contact with her that Miss Monsen was an unusually gifted woman. She possessed considerable originality of mind, and, as a rule, was never found treading the beaten paths. In contact with the deaconesses at Lovisenberg she was never afraid of expressing her opinion freely. In those days such behavior was not always well received, so she had many heavy burdens to carry at that time, but she was always ready to take the part of those who were weak.
"She wrote to Brandtzeg, then General Secretary of the Board from Lovisenberg, `Verily, you have sent me to the North Pole.' He replied, `Yes, but I know that you have both pick and axe so you can dig yourself out again.' She made it, and when she was the hardest pressed, the head physician came to her assistance.
"From that time on her life was unusually rich in experiences. She grew up in a home where she was supplied with only the necessaries of life. Money has never appealed to her as of any worth. She has always been willing to extend help to such as were in need. `Prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven.' She has done this and the Lord has never permitted her to come to grief.
"She has gone to the steamships without money to buy a ticket; she has traveled by rail across the United States without provisions; she has made a journey to the Northland without a steamer berth. `Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of.' This verse came to her at one time when she was suffering from hunger. She was led to a loaded table without the payment of money, and afterwards was in a position to help a fellow traveler who was on his way to tell his mother that there is no God. She has stuck to the promises, and God has never failed her. But to surrender everything unconditionally into the hand of God is not a lesson that is learned in one day. She has had to go through the deep waters to come to the place of utter dependence on God.
"When she came to China in the fall of 1901, her health failed her. She fell down a stairway in Shanghai and sustained a concussion of the brain, and when she arrived on the field she was taken down with a bad attack of malaria, so that even her life was despaired of.
"She was very much handicapped in her language studies the first few years. She struggled against the malaria, and her head gave her constant pain. During the summer of 1906 she was healed through prayer. Since that time the Lord has been her Great Physician, and she has needed His help on more than one occasion.
"Something that has always stood out before me as remarkable is her prayer life. She has always been an early riser, and the first two or three hours of the day have been holy to the Lord. The precious dewdrops from the Lord's altar have sustained her step by step on the way of sanctification.
"As a co-worker she was always sympathetic and considerate, and, on the whole, easy to get along with. Her aim was to go the way of the Lord and do His errands, so that also out here it was never a question with her of following the beaten paths. Consequently there were times when some stood wondering and questioning. But that it has paid her to follow the way of the Lord and to be in His will, that has been amply shown by her life during recent years."
This sketch of the life and work of Miss Monsen would be entirely inadequate if we left out all reference to an experience she had in the spring of 1929 when she was marvelously kept during twenty-three days of captivity at the hands of a band of sea rovers who had captured the ship she was traveling on from Tientsin, to meet an appointment to hold meetings at Hwanghsien in Shantung.
The story of this adventure in faith and dependence upon the Lord was told by Miss Monsen in her own characteristic way in an address before the Peitaiho Conference in North China, July 29, 1929, and recorded in a booklet, "We Are Escaped," published by the China Inland Mission in 1931.
In reading this wonderful testimony to God's faithfulness and power to help those who trust fully in Him, we are impressed by the place and value of prayer in the scheme of God's government of the world, as well as by the wonderful provision of God for our every need, if we are only willing to trust Him to undertake for us.
There is no doubt but that Miss Monsen's experiences during those twenty-three days on that bandit-ridden ship were a means in God's hand to prepare her for greater work for Him during the years that followed. The narrative is full of interest from be-ginning to end.
From China in Revival
By Gustav Carlberg
excerpt from Chapter 3; Revival
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
grace working through...
Paul says...
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10
God's grace works through the Christian! This is has nothing to do with us!
Its by the grace of God that a Christian receives revlation of His Word.
Its by the grace of God that a Christian can pray for hours on end
Its by the grace of God that a Christian can fast, preach, prophecy, worship, evangelize etc.
God gives different graces to His people so that He can be glorified!
He is the one that makes the person great or small. Our job is just to be faithful in whatever He has given to us!
Isn't that great news?!
It means that I can stop trying to be perfect and understand that its not about me but what God is doing through me. Even when I screw up I glorify God! (not that it gives us an excuse to sin)
After realizing this grace. I can finally stop trying to do things so that I can be "good enought to preach/teach" but I can just DO IT IN FAITH because its God working through me.
It sorta kills the pride that I had but it is also a relief!
I can stop worrying about every word I say and action I make to "look good" and just be!
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10
God's grace works through the Christian! This is has nothing to do with us!
Its by the grace of God that a Christian receives revlation of His Word.
Its by the grace of God that a Christian can pray for hours on end
Its by the grace of God that a Christian can fast, preach, prophecy, worship, evangelize etc.
God gives different graces to His people so that He can be glorified!
He is the one that makes the person great or small. Our job is just to be faithful in whatever He has given to us!
Isn't that great news?!
It means that I can stop trying to be perfect and understand that its not about me but what God is doing through me. Even when I screw up I glorify God! (not that it gives us an excuse to sin)
After realizing this grace. I can finally stop trying to do things so that I can be "good enought to preach/teach" but I can just DO IT IN FAITH because its God working through me.
It sorta kills the pride that I had but it is also a relief!
I can stop worrying about every word I say and action I make to "look good" and just be!
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Fragrance of Life
We live in a dry and parched land. The bible says “the wicked live in a sun scorched land” (Ps. 66:8). The spiritual reality around us is very bleak.
Just as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, so we are slaves to sin. Day after day we sweat in the desert of Egypt. All around us is sand and above us is a blazing sun that sucks the water of life out of our bodies. We long for a drop of water to quench our thirst but we find only sand. There is absolutely no water for miles around that can give us relief. In the same way, our spirits long for a drink of water but we find nothing.
In the world that we live in, we are deceived. All of our hopes, desires and longings come to nothing. (Ps. 112:10). We are like dream, a phantom, our life is but a vapour (Ps 39:6, James 4:14). Everything around us is fading away and decaying. The world and its passions fade away (1 John 2:17a)
They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. Psalm 73:20
This world is God’s worst nightmare. As humans our sinful minds come up with some of the most twisted and disturbing things. I am reminded of movies such as the Matrix or I, Robot where the humans create artificial intelligence but after awhile they rebel and start to kill people and suddenly we are plunged into chaotic world where the robots rule. In Resident Evil we try to create life through a virus but the virus turns everyone in zombies that eat human flesh.
When I think about it, this is exactly what happened to God. He creates life and we screw it up. This virus called sin enters the world, turns everyone into zombies that kill, lie, cheat, steal, hate, lust and now we live in a dark and godless world.
I can imagine God looking down at His once perfect world, in utter distress because his creation has turned into little demon monsters. But what gets me, is that it says we’re a dream not even real to God. Its like He’s going to wake up one day and we’ll all be gone, just a figment of His imagination. That’s good for God, but horrible for us.
But in this time when God is “sleeping”, He is also restoring people through Jesus and preparing them for the time when He awakes and brings back the real world. When God’s Kingdom comes those who are part of it won’t even want to remember any thing that happened in this old life.
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Isaiah 65:17
As we come to understand the calling that we have and are changed into citizens of Heaven, the world around us becomes our worst nightmare. We’re not of this world anymore but aliens and strangers in a foreign land (1 Peter 2:11)
However in the in between time, God in His wisdom has appointed that the Children of God live in this spiritual wasteland; it’s not easy. Every we wake up and cry:
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water Psalm 63:1
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2
We look around us and our soul is in utter distress at the wickedness around us. Like Lot living in Sodom.
and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) -2 Peter 2:7-8
But even though our soul is in distress we are the only ones with water in this dry land. As we go from this life here on earth to Heaven we literally bring heaven down to earth. As we pass by these dry places we pour water around us. Everywhere we go, we bring life.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7
It says in the bible that we are the fragrance of life (2 Cor 2:16). When people who our hungry and dying smell the life in us they are attracted to us. The awesome thing is that we don’t have to do anything; we don’t have to be perfect for this to happen it is God’s grace that works in us to act in order to fulfill His good purpose (Phil. 2:13). What we need to do is to worship God and be faithful. He takes care of the rest. The above passage says those who’s strength is in the Lord. It means those who completely trust God and draw strength from Him.
As God’s Children we must learn to rest in the shadow of the Almighty. His faithfulness is our shield and rampant. He’s the one that rescues us and even though all around us people may be falling to into sin’s deceptions, He promises keep us safe from evil. A thousand may fall at our right hand, ten thousand at our right side but none of it comes near to us. We sit and watch in awe and give thanks for what God is doing for us.(Ps. 91)
He gives those who trust in him a bubble of grace and the way we gain this bubble, is when we put down our own barrier of sin and pride and allow God to work through us.
Before we believe we walk around and live in the sin all around. After we believe we walk around in a sinful world but are no longer deceived and caught up in it. Our hearts are changed (the red dot) but we will still sin because our flesh is still weak.
The passage says from strength to strength. In the New Testament it says we are being transformed from glory to glory to His image (2 Cor 3:18) and that we are being renewed in inwardly day by day though our outward bodies are wasting away (2 Cor. 4:16). We are so focused on God that we don’t even realize that He’s using us to bring life, we just pass by, our eyes fixed on the author and perfecter of our faith Jesus (Hebrews 12:2.
One of the keys to bringing life to a lost generation is humility. God is looking for people who are humble enough to admit they need God and truly understand that they’re nothing without Him; because of this they just obey. In the bible of there are many great men and women of God who did amazing things and we tend idolize them. We think that they’re super holy people that we can never be like. But what we don’t see is that these people were humble.
Moses was the humblest man in all the earth (Num 12:3). It would make sense that the humblest man would be the man most used by God. Moses was so humble that when the Israelites were opposing him in the desert he fell facedown before them. The people were about to stone Moses but he didn’t care about man; He had no pride. God’s glory appeared over the tabernacle and Moses started to intercede for his enemies so that God would spare them. People would probably think twice before messing with Moses after that. But Moses didn’t do anything he was fully focused on God (Num 14:1-24)
We need to be careful; there are many people who try to work for God but not many who are humble enough to be used by Him. Many will say on that day: Lord Lord, did we not prophecy in your name and in your name drive out demons? And He will say depart from me, I never knew you (Matt. 7:22)
In Noah’s generation no one was seeking God, every one was evil. God was grieved and was about to destroy man. But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord he was a humble and righteous man. It says he was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). So you have to imagine that throughout the 100 years or so Noah was building the ark, people would be watching (it’s pretty hard to hide a giant boat) and as the people came to see Noah, he would be preaching to them! In the end, his obedience and perseverance is what saved the whole human race!
The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8
Our generation is quickly heading toward the days of Noah. And when God decides to wake up, the world is not going to know. Jesus says that when He comes again people will be living their normal day to day lives.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37-39
The bible prophecies that despite everything that God tries to do to warn people, they will still not repent of their iniquity (Rev. 9:21). We need to be the people who will find grace in the eyes of the Lord. The people who can partner with God to bring His will into existence because he does not find pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (Ez. 18:23) and it’s His will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)
As in the days of Noah, the same spiritual reality exists today but instead of a flood it says:
That is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12(NASB)
God sends them a powerful delusion. The word flood in Hebrew is mabbuwl and it means deluge which is the root word for delusion. The delusion overwhelms us and is extremely powerful. The most powerful delusion isn’t people who believe in different philosophies or people who clearly live in immorality but it’s the delusion of religion. Jesus warns us many times to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees (Matt 16:6). In the Old Testament, God says that He would rather have people live in outright opposition to Him than wear a mask of religion. In the days of Jeremiah, both Israel and Judah were living in opposition to God, but Judah still pretended to worship God.
The LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. Jeremiah 3:11
To be faithless is better than being unfaithful!
The story of Peter gives a good example of someone who was deluded by religion. Right before Jesus dies Peter boasts that he would die with Jesus after Jesus clearly told him he would deny him. Peter’s response should have been to repent, but instead he put his trust in his own flesh and religion. Jesus brings Peter to pray with him in the garden of Gethsemane to test him and as a way for him to keep watch so that he would not fall into temptation later on in the night! Peter fails this test and when the time came he was so disconnected from God that he tried to kill a man with a sword! It wasn’t until after Jesus’ resurrection that Peter fully understood what God’s intentions were.
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:39-42
When the end comes two people living together on earth will suddenly be separated. The person who is swept away will not understand until it is too late! In context of the passage, the one who is swept away is the one who fell into judgement. In the spiritual sense, those who do not know God are already swept away, the people that you go to school with the people that you work with.
Some people take this passage as a reference to the rapture. Paul does write about rapture “those who are alive will be caught up in the clouds” (1 Thess. 4:17) When it comes to the rapture we as Christians must understand that it will not happen before the tribulation period. The Left Behind series isn’t biblically accurate.
Jesus prays not for God to take them out of the world but that we are protected from evil.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:16-19
God’s desire is that we would be in the world as agents of light (Matt 5:14). In the last days we are to be sent into the world to be witnesses, to be the Noah to our generation that is being swept away by the delusion.
Submit to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). We need to stand and resist the devil not just run away! Jesus doesn’t leave us unequipped to do this. He covers us, He also desires us and He edifies us to do His work!
Jesus is in heaven with his crown of glory. We are on earth far below…
1.When we sin Jesus covers us in His blood so that we can stand in His presence (the black lines are sin that comes from our flesh)
2.Jesus desires us and shares His heart with us. The strength of the communication line depends on the individual person and is always being broken and re-establish because of sin (the black lines.
3.Jesus also edifies us to bring us to be where He is in heaven. He speaks truth in our lives to encourage us to keep running!
The key to resisting the devil is through pray and worship by God’s power not ours! Humility comes from prayer. Leonard Ravenhill a famous pastor has said “A man is only as great as his prayer life.”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Luke 4:5-8
The strategy the devil uses is to deceive is to get people to worship themselves, to gain glory for themselves. The devil tried to tempt Jesus to glorify himself and not give glory to the Father. Jesus knew that His kingdom wasn’t on earth but that the he would take the Kingdom of the world for the Kingdom of God. Satan has the authority and glory in this world. He’s the prince of this world. When we fell we gave the glory that was originally meant for humans to glorify God to Satan. Satan gives that authority to whom he pleases the politicians, judges, artists, journalists etc and they use that authority to glorify themselves. The exaltation of self is actually worship to Satan.
Where there is light there is no darkness. When we worship God, the spiritual condition in air in hearts change. Through faith, the power of Christ dwells in us (Eph. 3:17) so that we are able to evangelize effectively.
When we first believe our hearts are changed but weak and can’t do much. As our faith increases through worship Jesus gives us strength and the power in our hearts get bigger so that we can shine light into the dark places. Eventually the faith that we develop stays in our hearts in our day to day lives!
Wherever we go we are to be the fragrance of life. We do this simply by submitting or leading in a way that glorifies God in the places of influence we are in families, Workplace, school etc. by submitting we open up a door of grace for God to work.
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 1 Peter 3:1
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.1 Corinthians 7:12-14
The family is the basic foundation of human society. In the household, if the parents are believers they are able to effectively minster to their child. As long as the child submits their parents they are “clean” If the child is a Christian, through their actions they can also minister to their parents.
In the bible the word heaven is shown in three different contexts. Once to refer to the place where God dwells Our Father who art in heaven (Matt. 6:9), Another time to refer to spiritual forces of evil outside of the physical realms For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12) and another to refer to the physical heavens (space and sky) The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Ps 19:1) Paul writes about an experience where he was caught up to the third heaven. (2 Cor. 12:2) From this we can conclude that there are three “heavens,” God being in the 3rd heaven, Satan having dominion over a spiritual realm “heaven” that can delude people on the earth and the physical heavens which we can see. Of course God owns everything and is at the top. When we pray God ends us power directly from where He dwell and pierces the spiritual forces in Satan’s realm. The parents receive this grace from God and can pass it to the child. The mountain represents the area of influence.
In the marriage relationship the wife through submission in a Christ like way is able to minster to her husband and the husband is able to minster to the wife by leading her in a Christ like way. This can only happen if the unbelieving partner is willing to live with the believer. The actions of the man or woman is what God will use to save.
The relationship between Father and Jesus is reflected in the relationship between the man and woman as well as the relationship between Christ and the church. The Son loves the Father and so submits to Him, the Father loves the Son and so gives Him all authority to Him. In this way the relationship is circular! In the same way the wife submits to the husband but the man loves the wife and so brings her up to his level!
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. Titus 3:1
In the school and workplace the same concept applies. When we live godly lives we gain the respect of those in authority to us and through the respect we are given opportunities to speak truth and minister to them. As Jesus grew he was able to gain the respect of those around Him even as a child! (Luke 2:52)
The one who is lower on the structure gives grace to the higher and the relationship between them is one full of grace.
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us 1 Peter 2:12
In our friendships we are also able to minister in an equally yoked relationship. We can share our lives and live out our faith in a more personal way.
Not only can we minister to non-believers but also other believers as well. When David was being hunted by Saul, it says that Jonathan helped him find strength in God (1 Samuel 23:16).
Christians restore the disorder that is caused by our sin. A key way that we administer grace is through good works. It says in the bible:
Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. Titus 3:14
As we seek the Lord we must also be ready because the doors are open for Him to work as He pleases through our lives.
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect 1 Peter 3:15
Remember setting Christ apart in our hearts always comes first! If Christ is first than it is easy to give a genuine love filled answer to those who ask!
Just as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, so we are slaves to sin. Day after day we sweat in the desert of Egypt. All around us is sand and above us is a blazing sun that sucks the water of life out of our bodies. We long for a drop of water to quench our thirst but we find only sand. There is absolutely no water for miles around that can give us relief. In the same way, our spirits long for a drink of water but we find nothing.
In the world that we live in, we are deceived. All of our hopes, desires and longings come to nothing. (Ps. 112:10). We are like dream, a phantom, our life is but a vapour (Ps 39:6, James 4:14). Everything around us is fading away and decaying. The world and its passions fade away (1 John 2:17a)
They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. Psalm 73:20
This world is God’s worst nightmare. As humans our sinful minds come up with some of the most twisted and disturbing things. I am reminded of movies such as the Matrix or I, Robot where the humans create artificial intelligence but after awhile they rebel and start to kill people and suddenly we are plunged into chaotic world where the robots rule. In Resident Evil we try to create life through a virus but the virus turns everyone in zombies that eat human flesh.
When I think about it, this is exactly what happened to God. He creates life and we screw it up. This virus called sin enters the world, turns everyone into zombies that kill, lie, cheat, steal, hate, lust and now we live in a dark and godless world.
I can imagine God looking down at His once perfect world, in utter distress because his creation has turned into little demon monsters. But what gets me, is that it says we’re a dream not even real to God. Its like He’s going to wake up one day and we’ll all be gone, just a figment of His imagination. That’s good for God, but horrible for us.
But in this time when God is “sleeping”, He is also restoring people through Jesus and preparing them for the time when He awakes and brings back the real world. When God’s Kingdom comes those who are part of it won’t even want to remember any thing that happened in this old life.
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Isaiah 65:17
As we come to understand the calling that we have and are changed into citizens of Heaven, the world around us becomes our worst nightmare. We’re not of this world anymore but aliens and strangers in a foreign land (1 Peter 2:11)
However in the in between time, God in His wisdom has appointed that the Children of God live in this spiritual wasteland; it’s not easy. Every we wake up and cry:
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water Psalm 63:1
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2
We look around us and our soul is in utter distress at the wickedness around us. Like Lot living in Sodom.
and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) -2 Peter 2:7-8
But even though our soul is in distress we are the only ones with water in this dry land. As we go from this life here on earth to Heaven we literally bring heaven down to earth. As we pass by these dry places we pour water around us. Everywhere we go, we bring life.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7
It says in the bible that we are the fragrance of life (2 Cor 2:16). When people who our hungry and dying smell the life in us they are attracted to us. The awesome thing is that we don’t have to do anything; we don’t have to be perfect for this to happen it is God’s grace that works in us to act in order to fulfill His good purpose (Phil. 2:13). What we need to do is to worship God and be faithful. He takes care of the rest. The above passage says those who’s strength is in the Lord. It means those who completely trust God and draw strength from Him.
As God’s Children we must learn to rest in the shadow of the Almighty. His faithfulness is our shield and rampant. He’s the one that rescues us and even though all around us people may be falling to into sin’s deceptions, He promises keep us safe from evil. A thousand may fall at our right hand, ten thousand at our right side but none of it comes near to us. We sit and watch in awe and give thanks for what God is doing for us.(Ps. 91)
He gives those who trust in him a bubble of grace and the way we gain this bubble, is when we put down our own barrier of sin and pride and allow God to work through us.
Before we believe we walk around and live in the sin all around. After we believe we walk around in a sinful world but are no longer deceived and caught up in it. Our hearts are changed (the red dot) but we will still sin because our flesh is still weak.
The passage says from strength to strength. In the New Testament it says we are being transformed from glory to glory to His image (2 Cor 3:18) and that we are being renewed in inwardly day by day though our outward bodies are wasting away (2 Cor. 4:16). We are so focused on God that we don’t even realize that He’s using us to bring life, we just pass by, our eyes fixed on the author and perfecter of our faith Jesus (Hebrews 12:2.
One of the keys to bringing life to a lost generation is humility. God is looking for people who are humble enough to admit they need God and truly understand that they’re nothing without Him; because of this they just obey. In the bible of there are many great men and women of God who did amazing things and we tend idolize them. We think that they’re super holy people that we can never be like. But what we don’t see is that these people were humble.
Moses was the humblest man in all the earth (Num 12:3). It would make sense that the humblest man would be the man most used by God. Moses was so humble that when the Israelites were opposing him in the desert he fell facedown before them. The people were about to stone Moses but he didn’t care about man; He had no pride. God’s glory appeared over the tabernacle and Moses started to intercede for his enemies so that God would spare them. People would probably think twice before messing with Moses after that. But Moses didn’t do anything he was fully focused on God (Num 14:1-24)
We need to be careful; there are many people who try to work for God but not many who are humble enough to be used by Him. Many will say on that day: Lord Lord, did we not prophecy in your name and in your name drive out demons? And He will say depart from me, I never knew you (Matt. 7:22)
In Noah’s generation no one was seeking God, every one was evil. God was grieved and was about to destroy man. But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord he was a humble and righteous man. It says he was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). So you have to imagine that throughout the 100 years or so Noah was building the ark, people would be watching (it’s pretty hard to hide a giant boat) and as the people came to see Noah, he would be preaching to them! In the end, his obedience and perseverance is what saved the whole human race!
The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8
Our generation is quickly heading toward the days of Noah. And when God decides to wake up, the world is not going to know. Jesus says that when He comes again people will be living their normal day to day lives.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37-39
The bible prophecies that despite everything that God tries to do to warn people, they will still not repent of their iniquity (Rev. 9:21). We need to be the people who will find grace in the eyes of the Lord. The people who can partner with God to bring His will into existence because he does not find pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (Ez. 18:23) and it’s His will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)
As in the days of Noah, the same spiritual reality exists today but instead of a flood it says:
That is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12(NASB)
God sends them a powerful delusion. The word flood in Hebrew is mabbuwl and it means deluge which is the root word for delusion. The delusion overwhelms us and is extremely powerful. The most powerful delusion isn’t people who believe in different philosophies or people who clearly live in immorality but it’s the delusion of religion. Jesus warns us many times to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees (Matt 16:6). In the Old Testament, God says that He would rather have people live in outright opposition to Him than wear a mask of religion. In the days of Jeremiah, both Israel and Judah were living in opposition to God, but Judah still pretended to worship God.
The LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. Jeremiah 3:11
To be faithless is better than being unfaithful!
The story of Peter gives a good example of someone who was deluded by religion. Right before Jesus dies Peter boasts that he would die with Jesus after Jesus clearly told him he would deny him. Peter’s response should have been to repent, but instead he put his trust in his own flesh and religion. Jesus brings Peter to pray with him in the garden of Gethsemane to test him and as a way for him to keep watch so that he would not fall into temptation later on in the night! Peter fails this test and when the time came he was so disconnected from God that he tried to kill a man with a sword! It wasn’t until after Jesus’ resurrection that Peter fully understood what God’s intentions were.
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:39-42
When the end comes two people living together on earth will suddenly be separated. The person who is swept away will not understand until it is too late! In context of the passage, the one who is swept away is the one who fell into judgement. In the spiritual sense, those who do not know God are already swept away, the people that you go to school with the people that you work with.
Some people take this passage as a reference to the rapture. Paul does write about rapture “those who are alive will be caught up in the clouds” (1 Thess. 4:17) When it comes to the rapture we as Christians must understand that it will not happen before the tribulation period. The Left Behind series isn’t biblically accurate.
Jesus prays not for God to take them out of the world but that we are protected from evil.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:16-19
God’s desire is that we would be in the world as agents of light (Matt 5:14). In the last days we are to be sent into the world to be witnesses, to be the Noah to our generation that is being swept away by the delusion.
Submit to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). We need to stand and resist the devil not just run away! Jesus doesn’t leave us unequipped to do this. He covers us, He also desires us and He edifies us to do His work!
Jesus is in heaven with his crown of glory. We are on earth far below…
1.When we sin Jesus covers us in His blood so that we can stand in His presence (the black lines are sin that comes from our flesh)
2.Jesus desires us and shares His heart with us. The strength of the communication line depends on the individual person and is always being broken and re-establish because of sin (the black lines.
3.Jesus also edifies us to bring us to be where He is in heaven. He speaks truth in our lives to encourage us to keep running!
The key to resisting the devil is through pray and worship by God’s power not ours! Humility comes from prayer. Leonard Ravenhill a famous pastor has said “A man is only as great as his prayer life.”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Luke 4:5-8
The strategy the devil uses is to deceive is to get people to worship themselves, to gain glory for themselves. The devil tried to tempt Jesus to glorify himself and not give glory to the Father. Jesus knew that His kingdom wasn’t on earth but that the he would take the Kingdom of the world for the Kingdom of God. Satan has the authority and glory in this world. He’s the prince of this world. When we fell we gave the glory that was originally meant for humans to glorify God to Satan. Satan gives that authority to whom he pleases the politicians, judges, artists, journalists etc and they use that authority to glorify themselves. The exaltation of self is actually worship to Satan.
Where there is light there is no darkness. When we worship God, the spiritual condition in air in hearts change. Through faith, the power of Christ dwells in us (Eph. 3:17) so that we are able to evangelize effectively.
When we first believe our hearts are changed but weak and can’t do much. As our faith increases through worship Jesus gives us strength and the power in our hearts get bigger so that we can shine light into the dark places. Eventually the faith that we develop stays in our hearts in our day to day lives!
Wherever we go we are to be the fragrance of life. We do this simply by submitting or leading in a way that glorifies God in the places of influence we are in families, Workplace, school etc. by submitting we open up a door of grace for God to work.
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 1 Peter 3:1
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.1 Corinthians 7:12-14
The family is the basic foundation of human society. In the household, if the parents are believers they are able to effectively minster to their child. As long as the child submits their parents they are “clean” If the child is a Christian, through their actions they can also minister to their parents.
In the bible the word heaven is shown in three different contexts. Once to refer to the place where God dwells Our Father who art in heaven (Matt. 6:9), Another time to refer to spiritual forces of evil outside of the physical realms For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12) and another to refer to the physical heavens (space and sky) The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Ps 19:1) Paul writes about an experience where he was caught up to the third heaven. (2 Cor. 12:2) From this we can conclude that there are three “heavens,” God being in the 3rd heaven, Satan having dominion over a spiritual realm “heaven” that can delude people on the earth and the physical heavens which we can see. Of course God owns everything and is at the top. When we pray God ends us power directly from where He dwell and pierces the spiritual forces in Satan’s realm. The parents receive this grace from God and can pass it to the child. The mountain represents the area of influence.
In the marriage relationship the wife through submission in a Christ like way is able to minster to her husband and the husband is able to minster to the wife by leading her in a Christ like way. This can only happen if the unbelieving partner is willing to live with the believer. The actions of the man or woman is what God will use to save.
The relationship between Father and Jesus is reflected in the relationship between the man and woman as well as the relationship between Christ and the church. The Son loves the Father and so submits to Him, the Father loves the Son and so gives Him all authority to Him. In this way the relationship is circular! In the same way the wife submits to the husband but the man loves the wife and so brings her up to his level!
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. Titus 3:1
In the school and workplace the same concept applies. When we live godly lives we gain the respect of those in authority to us and through the respect we are given opportunities to speak truth and minister to them. As Jesus grew he was able to gain the respect of those around Him even as a child! (Luke 2:52)
The one who is lower on the structure gives grace to the higher and the relationship between them is one full of grace.
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us 1 Peter 2:12
In our friendships we are also able to minister in an equally yoked relationship. We can share our lives and live out our faith in a more personal way.
Not only can we minister to non-believers but also other believers as well. When David was being hunted by Saul, it says that Jonathan helped him find strength in God (1 Samuel 23:16).
Christians restore the disorder that is caused by our sin. A key way that we administer grace is through good works. It says in the bible:
Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. Titus 3:14
As we seek the Lord we must also be ready because the doors are open for Him to work as He pleases through our lives.
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect 1 Peter 3:15
Remember setting Christ apart in our hearts always comes first! If Christ is first than it is easy to give a genuine love filled answer to those who ask!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Jesus Loves
the little children all the children of the world!
Red and yellow black and white they are precious in His sight!
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." Luke 18:16-17
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. Matthew 11:25-26
Only children can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who believe become children of God. When Jesus says we need to be born again, He meant that we become like children again. Not everyone who is a child is a child, and not everyone who is old is an "adult" The children of God are chilren at heart! God turns our sulf-sufficient "adult" like hearts into childlike ones that can understand and know him.
Children, just believe and trust whatever their parents have to say. They don't doubt or question or try to argue with them. They understand that they are dependent and need their parents in their lives.
Adults on the other hand are very skeptical.
They judge and analyze every little word that is said and love to give their own opinions on different things because they want to make themselves look good. They are "grown ups" who have everything under control. They don't need to listen to their parents, because they already know everything. Their pride drowns out the voice of the Father.
But its only when we become like children and LISTEN that God can truly reveal Himself. We are all very adult like, even children have this heart inside them. If you go to an elementary school children all want to be first, they all want to look the best to be the smartest. They can't wait to be "grownups" It is only God who makes a child a child so that He can show them who He is.
When children listen and obey their parents, they stand out among the otherkids!
They may not understand why they need to do the things they are told but eventually they grow to see how their obdience has lead them to excel amidst their peers. They might be teased along the the way, but in it was far more worth it. The hours they put in studying instead of playing led them to be honoured in front of their peers as the valedictorian.
As Children of God, we need to learn to be even more childlike! As we listen to our Father and humbly obey, we are exalted because His blessings are seen in our lives by thouse around us.
Red and yellow black and white they are precious in His sight!
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." Luke 18:16-17
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. Matthew 11:25-26
Only children can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who believe become children of God. When Jesus says we need to be born again, He meant that we become like children again. Not everyone who is a child is a child, and not everyone who is old is an "adult" The children of God are chilren at heart! God turns our sulf-sufficient "adult" like hearts into childlike ones that can understand and know him.
Children, just believe and trust whatever their parents have to say. They don't doubt or question or try to argue with them. They understand that they are dependent and need their parents in their lives.
Adults on the other hand are very skeptical.
They judge and analyze every little word that is said and love to give their own opinions on different things because they want to make themselves look good. They are "grown ups" who have everything under control. They don't need to listen to their parents, because they already know everything. Their pride drowns out the voice of the Father.
But its only when we become like children and LISTEN that God can truly reveal Himself. We are all very adult like, even children have this heart inside them. If you go to an elementary school children all want to be first, they all want to look the best to be the smartest. They can't wait to be "grownups" It is only God who makes a child a child so that He can show them who He is.
When children listen and obey their parents, they stand out among the otherkids!
They may not understand why they need to do the things they are told but eventually they grow to see how their obdience has lead them to excel amidst their peers. They might be teased along the the way, but in it was far more worth it. The hours they put in studying instead of playing led them to be honoured in front of their peers as the valedictorian.
As Children of God, we need to learn to be even more childlike! As we listen to our Father and humbly obey, we are exalted because His blessings are seen in our lives by thouse around us.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Heart Breathings
(excerpt from Leonard Ravenhill)
The need of the Church today is for spiritual
millionaires who can bring down the wealth of
the world above on this stricken church age.
It is my solemn conviction that the Lord put
the Church to groan in this groaning creation
(Rom. 8:26) that she might reach millions who
would otherwise groan for eons in a devil's hell.
Are we (who still have coals of fire on our altars)
measuring ourselves by the fireless altars of
neighboring churches instead of checking on
the praying blaze of our saintly forebearers?
THE NAME OF CHRIST
If we today could rediscover
The virtue in that Name,
The victory in that Name,
The violence in that Name,
We could set this world alight for God.
A sermon born in the head reaches the head;
A sermon born in the heart reaches the heart.
No Christian is greater than his prayer-life.
The pastor who is not praying is playing;
the people who are not praying are straying.
The two prerequisites to successful Christian
living are vision and passion, both of which are
born in and maintained by prayer.
The ministry of preaching is open to few;
the ministry of prayer - the highest ministry of
all human offices - is open to all.
Prayer grasps eternity!
The understanding soul prays;
the praying soul gets understanding.
The secret of praying is praying in secret.
Elijah was a man skilled in the art of prayer,
who altered the course of nature,
strangled the economy of a nation,
prayed and fire fell,
prayed and people fell,
prayed and rain fell.
We need rain, rain, rain!
The churches are so parched that seed
cannot germinate. Our altars are dry,
with no hot tears of penitents.
Oh for an Elijah!
Elijah was a man
subject to like passions as we are,
but alas, we are not men
of like prayer as he was.
His whole life is summed up in two words,
"He prayed." (James 5:17)
Watch and pray,
or rust and decay.
No amount of prayer
will deliver us from temptation,
but it will deliver us in temptation.
Prayer is the language of the poor in Spirit.
The self-sufficient do not need to pray;
The self-satisfied will not pray;
The self-righteous cannot pray.
Prayer produces courage and joy
to do God's will
even if tears are shed doing it.
The man who kneels in prayer
has some standing before the Lord.
Many ask God for help.
Few ask God for mercy.
We need preachers
who can preach up a storm,
but our greater need is for pray-ers
who can pray down the fire.
Most Christians pray to be blest
few pray to be broken.
Prayer is not argument with God
to persuade Him to walk our way,
but an exercise by which He enables us by His
Spirit to walk His way.
Who can tell the measure of God's power?
Prayer is as vast as God
because He is behind it.
Prayer is as mighty as God,
because He has committed Himself to answer it.
The need of the Church today is for spiritual
millionaires who can bring down the wealth of
the world above on this stricken church age.
It is my solemn conviction that the Lord put
the Church to groan in this groaning creation
(Rom. 8:26) that she might reach millions who
would otherwise groan for eons in a devil's hell.
Are we (who still have coals of fire on our altars)
measuring ourselves by the fireless altars of
neighboring churches instead of checking on
the praying blaze of our saintly forebearers?
THE NAME OF CHRIST
If we today could rediscover
The virtue in that Name,
The victory in that Name,
The violence in that Name,
We could set this world alight for God.
A sermon born in the head reaches the head;
A sermon born in the heart reaches the heart.
No Christian is greater than his prayer-life.
The pastor who is not praying is playing;
the people who are not praying are straying.
The two prerequisites to successful Christian
living are vision and passion, both of which are
born in and maintained by prayer.
The ministry of preaching is open to few;
the ministry of prayer - the highest ministry of
all human offices - is open to all.
Prayer grasps eternity!
The understanding soul prays;
the praying soul gets understanding.
The secret of praying is praying in secret.
Elijah was a man skilled in the art of prayer,
who altered the course of nature,
strangled the economy of a nation,
prayed and fire fell,
prayed and people fell,
prayed and rain fell.
We need rain, rain, rain!
The churches are so parched that seed
cannot germinate. Our altars are dry,
with no hot tears of penitents.
Oh for an Elijah!
Elijah was a man
subject to like passions as we are,
but alas, we are not men
of like prayer as he was.
His whole life is summed up in two words,
"He prayed." (James 5:17)
Watch and pray,
or rust and decay.
No amount of prayer
will deliver us from temptation,
but it will deliver us in temptation.
Prayer is the language of the poor in Spirit.
The self-sufficient do not need to pray;
The self-satisfied will not pray;
The self-righteous cannot pray.
Prayer produces courage and joy
to do God's will
even if tears are shed doing it.
The man who kneels in prayer
has some standing before the Lord.
Many ask God for help.
Few ask God for mercy.
We need preachers
who can preach up a storm,
but our greater need is for pray-ers
who can pray down the fire.
Most Christians pray to be blest
few pray to be broken.
Prayer is not argument with God
to persuade Him to walk our way,
but an exercise by which He enables us by His
Spirit to walk His way.
Who can tell the measure of God's power?
Prayer is as vast as God
because He is behind it.
Prayer is as mighty as God,
because He has committed Himself to answer it.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
in all godliness
train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
-1 Timothy 4:7b-8
In all things godliness has value.
When Jesus says to seek first the Kingdom of heaven and then all these things will be added unto you,this is what he meant.
The godly are not those who are morally perfect but those who seek the Lord with all their heart soul and mind. Striving against themselves, the world around them, the forces of hell and even life itself to know this God. Who is this King of Glory? A life that is living with this very purpose without compromise will be honored by the Lord For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully commintted to Him and He rewards those who diligently seek Him As they seek they receive grace to live a life of worship. They are enabled to live a disciplined, self-controlled life filled with power, love in all holiness and in every aspect of life.For our God is indeed All in All and an all consuming fire.
So that in everything we do we can truely do it in the Name of our Lord Jesus.
Today I wrote an exam, and sadly had to skip church to do so. After writting the exam I was surprised at how easy it was! I hadn't really realized it, but the grace God had given me to be disciplined in my prayer time overflowed into discipline that produced good fruit even in this life! When I look back on it, I studied a lot, 13 hours straight of productive studying and not once did I waste time on mundance things.
I always think that I am doing behind in school because I don't think I spend many hours on it. It always seems to be the last thing on my mind. Surpisingly, I received 2 papers this past week and reeived an A+ and A- on them. After looking back on it, I actually did put a lot of work into them without even realizing it.
Whats also strange is that my relationships with other people are so much better! I make friends very quickly without even realizing it. I'm so filled with God that I want to talk to people and don't mind sharing my life with anybody and everybody.
I'm reading the bible I always hear about encouragements to endure through suffering and about all the trials we must face and yeah there are those times but then there are these times and I can't be helped but stand in awe.
-1 Timothy 4:7b-8
In all things godliness has value.
When Jesus says to seek first the Kingdom of heaven and then all these things will be added unto you,this is what he meant.
The godly are not those who are morally perfect but those who seek the Lord with all their heart soul and mind. Striving against themselves, the world around them, the forces of hell and even life itself to know this God. Who is this King of Glory? A life that is living with this very purpose without compromise will be honored by the Lord For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully commintted to Him and He rewards those who diligently seek Him As they seek they receive grace to live a life of worship. They are enabled to live a disciplined, self-controlled life filled with power, love in all holiness and in every aspect of life.For our God is indeed All in All and an all consuming fire.
So that in everything we do we can truely do it in the Name of our Lord Jesus.
Today I wrote an exam, and sadly had to skip church to do so. After writting the exam I was surprised at how easy it was! I hadn't really realized it, but the grace God had given me to be disciplined in my prayer time overflowed into discipline that produced good fruit even in this life! When I look back on it, I studied a lot, 13 hours straight of productive studying and not once did I waste time on mundance things.
I always think that I am doing behind in school because I don't think I spend many hours on it. It always seems to be the last thing on my mind. Surpisingly, I received 2 papers this past week and reeived an A+ and A- on them. After looking back on it, I actually did put a lot of work into them without even realizing it.
Whats also strange is that my relationships with other people are so much better! I make friends very quickly without even realizing it. I'm so filled with God that I want to talk to people and don't mind sharing my life with anybody and everybody.
I'm reading the bible I always hear about encouragements to endure through suffering and about all the trials we must face and yeah there are those times but then there are these times and I can't be helped but stand in awe.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thoughts....
The human that is in relationship with God is innately aware of their nakedness before Him; both in the physical and spiritual. They live their day to day lives with a deep understanding of His sovereignty. They are found speechless and sit in reverent awe as they meditate and accept that God is familiar with all their ways, thoughts, actions and words. They look at themselves and wonder how dust can become a living being that can understand. Their lives are marked with a peace and rest accepting that their days were already set apart for them before they were even created. This trust and understanding gives them no fear in being obedient and following whatever God places in their hearts to do. They need not seek acceptance or approval from any person because they know their immense value. Their Creator spent an eternity thinking of them before they were and knit them together with the utmost care, cell by cell. They were born out of His deep intimacy and love, in His most hidden places that only He knows of and understands. With this in mind, they are content in any circumstance and are able to love others as the love of their Creator flows through them.
The Creator-creation relationship is indeed a unique one, unlike anything a human can comprehend. It is not as simple as a person looking at a colony of ants going about their work. The person would have to be able to dwell in, understand, empathize, enjoy and share in what each individual ant was doing simultaneously. The Lord has infinite thoughts for every person and His thoughts are all equally infinite for each of them; He is all in all. Each relationship with each person is uniquely different yet has a familiarity with each one, much like how the relationship between different people are different but also similar.
When one understands God’s sovereignty, they cannot help but see how sinful they are in every little thought, action or feeling that opposes this sovereignty. A yearning to want to be obedient is placed in their hearts. They willingly open their whole being to their Creator so that they can be searched and conformed to His ways no matter how much it may hurt them. Their love for the Creator is greater that their pride and so they are willing to allow themselves to be shamed if it means a deeper understanding and relationship with God. The relationship sparks a passionate zeal for those who live in complete enmity to this truth. They love the Lord so they will despise those who hate Him and mock His name.
In contrast, the one who is dull to God lives their life as a restless wanderer. They go from place to place trying to escape the grasp of God’s sovereignty in their life. The very thought of that God is omnipotent makes their spirit uncomfortable. Like Cain who built cities and hid himself with the many distractions of life and like Adam and Eve who hid among the bushes, so the person will surround themselves with spiritual places to hide. Although they try to hide, there will be no peace in their hearts until they submit to God.
As God’s people, we are a restless people. It is difficult for us to sit and wait upon the Lord. In our times of prayer our hearts and thoughts are scattered and in our reading of His Word we find trouble in meditating and understanding. This leads to an unfulfilled relationship with the Lord and many times we leave empty when we should be overflowing. We must forced ourselves to slow down and cast each anxiety on Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strengthen. Only then can our hearts be open for the Lord to fill them!
(Psalm 139)
The Creator-creation relationship is indeed a unique one, unlike anything a human can comprehend. It is not as simple as a person looking at a colony of ants going about their work. The person would have to be able to dwell in, understand, empathize, enjoy and share in what each individual ant was doing simultaneously. The Lord has infinite thoughts for every person and His thoughts are all equally infinite for each of them; He is all in all. Each relationship with each person is uniquely different yet has a familiarity with each one, much like how the relationship between different people are different but also similar.
When one understands God’s sovereignty, they cannot help but see how sinful they are in every little thought, action or feeling that opposes this sovereignty. A yearning to want to be obedient is placed in their hearts. They willingly open their whole being to their Creator so that they can be searched and conformed to His ways no matter how much it may hurt them. Their love for the Creator is greater that their pride and so they are willing to allow themselves to be shamed if it means a deeper understanding and relationship with God. The relationship sparks a passionate zeal for those who live in complete enmity to this truth. They love the Lord so they will despise those who hate Him and mock His name.
In contrast, the one who is dull to God lives their life as a restless wanderer. They go from place to place trying to escape the grasp of God’s sovereignty in their life. The very thought of that God is omnipotent makes their spirit uncomfortable. Like Cain who built cities and hid himself with the many distractions of life and like Adam and Eve who hid among the bushes, so the person will surround themselves with spiritual places to hide. Although they try to hide, there will be no peace in their hearts until they submit to God.
As God’s people, we are a restless people. It is difficult for us to sit and wait upon the Lord. In our times of prayer our hearts and thoughts are scattered and in our reading of His Word we find trouble in meditating and understanding. This leads to an unfulfilled relationship with the Lord and many times we leave empty when we should be overflowing. We must forced ourselves to slow down and cast each anxiety on Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strengthen. Only then can our hearts be open for the Lord to fill them!
(Psalm 139)
Thursday, December 9, 2010
2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully commintted to Him.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Bride and the Harlot
Children of God,
We, the Bride of Christ are being made pure and white without blemish or stain. For He has ravished our heart with His love and desires to bring us, to take us to His home, a place where we will behold His glory. His banner over us is love and He is teaching us, preparing us for we are His beloved and we are His. We wait expectantly for great wedding feast of the Lamb that will soon take place!
Make yourself ready! The bridegroom is coming soon! go buy oil quickly for He shall come like a theif in the night while people are living their day to day lives. Suddenly He shall appear on a whitehorse, the rider Faith and True! Don't be found naked! Clothe yourselves with fine linen,the righteous acts of the saints. Buy refined gold as a worthy gift, a dowry for the bride. Adorn yourself with precious stones that are worthy of the Lamb. For she shall be called chosen and faithful, tried and true.
Children of God,
The devil deceives. For as the Lord is preparing Himself a pure bride, so the devil is raising up an imposter, a fake, one who shames the Bridegroom and His Name. The Great Harlot of Babylon. With passion dripping from her lips she is quick to indulge in immorality. She despises her sister and becomes drunk on her blood. She has given herself to countless lovers, allowed her self to be a dwelling place for demons and unclean spirits. Yet with a proud smile on her face she laughs and says I am not a widow, I have no shame, I need no husband.
There is a battle raging for this generation. Will we become the harlot or the bride? The harlot cannot contain her desire and goes to pleasure herself in everything possible. The bride waits patiently for the bridegroom staying faithful to Him. In this hour not many are waiting they think they can compromise, let one little spot stain the linen. Others think that don't need to be dressed, they can sleep till the Bridegroom comes and when He does, they will be naked having nothing to offer Him.
Jesus gave His life for us and when He returns He deserves a return. Will you have something to offer Him? or will you be found poor and needy on that day?
Is He really worthy to you?
(Songs of Soloman 2:4, 2:16, 4:9 Rev 17-19)
We, the Bride of Christ are being made pure and white without blemish or stain. For He has ravished our heart with His love and desires to bring us, to take us to His home, a place where we will behold His glory. His banner over us is love and He is teaching us, preparing us for we are His beloved and we are His. We wait expectantly for great wedding feast of the Lamb that will soon take place!
Make yourself ready! The bridegroom is coming soon! go buy oil quickly for He shall come like a theif in the night while people are living their day to day lives. Suddenly He shall appear on a whitehorse, the rider Faith and True! Don't be found naked! Clothe yourselves with fine linen,the righteous acts of the saints. Buy refined gold as a worthy gift, a dowry for the bride. Adorn yourself with precious stones that are worthy of the Lamb. For she shall be called chosen and faithful, tried and true.
Children of God,
The devil deceives. For as the Lord is preparing Himself a pure bride, so the devil is raising up an imposter, a fake, one who shames the Bridegroom and His Name. The Great Harlot of Babylon. With passion dripping from her lips she is quick to indulge in immorality. She despises her sister and becomes drunk on her blood. She has given herself to countless lovers, allowed her self to be a dwelling place for demons and unclean spirits. Yet with a proud smile on her face she laughs and says I am not a widow, I have no shame, I need no husband.
There is a battle raging for this generation. Will we become the harlot or the bride? The harlot cannot contain her desire and goes to pleasure herself in everything possible. The bride waits patiently for the bridegroom staying faithful to Him. In this hour not many are waiting they think they can compromise, let one little spot stain the linen. Others think that don't need to be dressed, they can sleep till the Bridegroom comes and when He does, they will be naked having nothing to offer Him.
Jesus gave His life for us and when He returns He deserves a return. Will you have something to offer Him? or will you be found poor and needy on that day?
Is He really worthy to you?
(Songs of Soloman 2:4, 2:16, 4:9 Rev 17-19)
Sunday, December 5, 2010
I've Got the Joy .......
O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus!
O how I love Jesus! Because he first LOVED ME!
To me He is so wonderful and I love him!
To me He is so wonderful and I love him
To me He is so wonderful and I love him because he first LOVED ME!
I wish I could worship God all the time.
Sadly I have to live life.
I look forward to the times when I can minster before the Lord.
I would not be able to survive if I didn't have that time.
Spiritual attacks are very strong lately.
It comes out of nowhere anger, jealousy, hate, depression
BAM BAM BAM BAM
It gets to the point where its a struggle to function and only by grace can I get through it.
God gives JUST ENOUGH grace so you can get through it but doesn't do everything so that you need to struggle to make it through.
Its confusing when you feel the love and grace of God overflowing through your spirit till the point of tears WHILE your going through some major suffering.
I can't help but rejoice!
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
I keep thinking on how I am being made clean and that all the sin that I hate so much is being removed and it brings me joy!
O the wonderful cross! O the wonderful cross!
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live!
In all the times of crying out to the Lord and praying for the loss souls,
a part of me is happy because I'm going through what Jesus went through.
Each time I force myself to pray for that person one more time, my love for them grows and I scold myself later for not doing it sooner!
I CAN EVANGELIZE MORE OFTEN NOW TOO!!!!
The Lord is definitely moving and I am excited to see what will happen in the next little while.
Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning!
Give me oil in my lamp I pray!
Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning burning burning
Keep me burning til the break of day!
O how I love Jesus! Because he first LOVED ME!
To me He is so wonderful and I love him!
To me He is so wonderful and I love him
To me He is so wonderful and I love him because he first LOVED ME!
I wish I could worship God all the time.
Sadly I have to live life.
I look forward to the times when I can minster before the Lord.
I would not be able to survive if I didn't have that time.
Spiritual attacks are very strong lately.
It comes out of nowhere anger, jealousy, hate, depression
BAM BAM BAM BAM
It gets to the point where its a struggle to function and only by grace can I get through it.
God gives JUST ENOUGH grace so you can get through it but doesn't do everything so that you need to struggle to make it through.
Its confusing when you feel the love and grace of God overflowing through your spirit till the point of tears WHILE your going through some major suffering.
I can't help but rejoice!
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
I keep thinking on how I am being made clean and that all the sin that I hate so much is being removed and it brings me joy!
O the wonderful cross! O the wonderful cross!
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live!
In all the times of crying out to the Lord and praying for the loss souls,
a part of me is happy because I'm going through what Jesus went through.
Each time I force myself to pray for that person one more time, my love for them grows and I scold myself later for not doing it sooner!
I CAN EVANGELIZE MORE OFTEN NOW TOO!!!!
The Lord is definitely moving and I am excited to see what will happen in the next little while.
Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning!
Give me oil in my lamp I pray!
Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning burning burning
Keep me burning til the break of day!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Day to Day Life in the Lord
This week I have been increasing my prayer time and found more strength to do God's work. I can see how the Spirit that is within is me is indeed more powerful than he that is in the World. The religious people both fear, respect and hate me for these various reasons. The other day I was praying and a Muslim told me to quiet down. I apologized to him and he said no need to apologized that we are the same. It is very disheartening to see how great a veil is over his eyes that he cannot see the difference between his god and my God.
Everyday Friday the belivers at York go out to evangelize. The Lord has been giving many people open hearts and it is always an encouragement to see people so receptive to the gospel. One persone we talked to however, had no faith at all and grew up in the church but later on left. His view was that all religions are one and the same. I got very frustrated at him and lost my self-control. I was very bold in telling him the word of truth "there is no peace for the wicked." I then I made a very offensive remark to him and quickly left. I was immediately convicted for not showing love the way I was supposed to.
I am very thankful for MANY strong believers who love the Lord at York!
In my times of trouble if I just pray with ONE of them immediately my spirit is strengthened in the Lord!
After evangelism, we walked to the religious center where we found 2 believers worshiping the Lord with all their heart in the middle of public area!
Immediately we were unified as the body and joined in worship! The Spirit descended so strongly that as we were worshiping the Muslims were shaken in spirit and scared to ask us to stop praying so they could continue with their prayer ritual! Praise the Lord! We all left with joy in our hearts that day!
Another time as we were worshiping and the sanctuary was filled with a joyful noise unto the Lord, I looked and there was a Muslim man seeking God in desperation outside. I went out, sat down and suddenly felt such a great love and sorrow for this man. He was so close to God yet so far........
He lifted his eyes up to the sky shaking his fists while holding a rosary and going through the beads. I had talked to him before. He had a strange belief that mixed both Muslim and Christianity together.
I had to say something
"Sir I have a message from God for you! You need to stop trying so hard and just believe that God did everything for you through Jesus already!"
I explained the problem of the pharisees and left with peace in my heart.
The theme for that night was religion vs faith.
In the joyful assembly of worshipers, some church christians walked in and stared like a group dead bodies. A brother told me his burden. We knew a part of them wanted to join in but couldn't...
They quickly left a little shocked.
The other day
I walked into the CCF office and found an old asian man there. I was confused as to why he was there and how he got in. He told me he was looking for people to pray with and that this was the only avaiable time he had to do so.
Immediately I knew the Lord had drawn him there.
I could sense a the spirit of unity in that place so I quickly told him that we could pray together next week at the same time!
Monday's, I do bible studies. I usually text the same people to come out to them and keep getting rejected time and time again. Usually only two people come. This particular Monday, I decided to take a break and make up an excuse that I had to much school work to try to get people to come. I mean why bother people who don't want the word of the Lord? As I sit down to do work I get texts from people who suddenly decided to come that day! As I was teaching, a Muslim girl who shares the office with CCF whom I had talked to before (she caught me while I was praying), stayed to hear the words!
I am more spiritually sensitive. On, Friday I could sense a deceiving spirit within another believer. We were going to evangelize together, but it felt off. He suddenly interrupted me as I was explaining the gospel because he didn't agree with something I said. I talked to him afterwards and foundout he was in serious doubt about the divinity of Jesus and the trinity.....very close to Jehova's witness.
I knew something was wrong because when I talked to him the night before he said that he didn't "feel led by the Spirit to be praying" He started to misquote all these verses from scripture. If this was me a few weeks ago I would've left. But somehow I stay and was able to rebuke from scripture. I tried to call another believer who was strong in the Word and faith to help and of course the other believer started to feel uncomfortable. The spirit in him knew that it was no match for the Spirit of Truth! Nonetheless we sat down and talked it out.
In KNA, the councilors are more unified! We actually prayed together for the FIRST TIME on Friday. The theme was living water right out of John chapter 4. As Chung started to share I suddenly felt a huge spirit of oppression and deceit. The religious one that makes you feel good but doesn't bring about repentence and gives a false illusion of faith in Christ by replacing it with emotion.
I kept praying that God would sweep over the refudge of lies and floodover all the hiding places. Then something broke in the spirit of some of the youth. I was really skeptical at first as to if this was TRULY the work of the Spirit and now some other Spirit, but the youth started to share their burdens, everybody was unified and free to talk to one another and we all felt drawn to prayer. I remembered "where the Spirit if the Lord is there is freedom"
I am also very happy that some believers I have been praying for are starting to seek the Lord more in their life by praying more. I can see the change in their hearts in the way that they pray already!
So yes these are all very small things when it comes to the work of the Lord! But to me they are VERY BIG!
Everyday Friday the belivers at York go out to evangelize. The Lord has been giving many people open hearts and it is always an encouragement to see people so receptive to the gospel. One persone we talked to however, had no faith at all and grew up in the church but later on left. His view was that all religions are one and the same. I got very frustrated at him and lost my self-control. I was very bold in telling him the word of truth "there is no peace for the wicked." I then I made a very offensive remark to him and quickly left. I was immediately convicted for not showing love the way I was supposed to.
I am very thankful for MANY strong believers who love the Lord at York!
In my times of trouble if I just pray with ONE of them immediately my spirit is strengthened in the Lord!
After evangelism, we walked to the religious center where we found 2 believers worshiping the Lord with all their heart in the middle of public area!
Immediately we were unified as the body and joined in worship! The Spirit descended so strongly that as we were worshiping the Muslims were shaken in spirit and scared to ask us to stop praying so they could continue with their prayer ritual! Praise the Lord! We all left with joy in our hearts that day!
Another time as we were worshiping and the sanctuary was filled with a joyful noise unto the Lord, I looked and there was a Muslim man seeking God in desperation outside. I went out, sat down and suddenly felt such a great love and sorrow for this man. He was so close to God yet so far........
He lifted his eyes up to the sky shaking his fists while holding a rosary and going through the beads. I had talked to him before. He had a strange belief that mixed both Muslim and Christianity together.
I had to say something
"Sir I have a message from God for you! You need to stop trying so hard and just believe that God did everything for you through Jesus already!"
I explained the problem of the pharisees and left with peace in my heart.
The theme for that night was religion vs faith.
In the joyful assembly of worshipers, some church christians walked in and stared like a group dead bodies. A brother told me his burden. We knew a part of them wanted to join in but couldn't...
They quickly left a little shocked.
The other day
I walked into the CCF office and found an old asian man there. I was confused as to why he was there and how he got in. He told me he was looking for people to pray with and that this was the only avaiable time he had to do so.
Immediately I knew the Lord had drawn him there.
I could sense a the spirit of unity in that place so I quickly told him that we could pray together next week at the same time!
Monday's, I do bible studies. I usually text the same people to come out to them and keep getting rejected time and time again. Usually only two people come. This particular Monday, I decided to take a break and make up an excuse that I had to much school work to try to get people to come. I mean why bother people who don't want the word of the Lord? As I sit down to do work I get texts from people who suddenly decided to come that day! As I was teaching, a Muslim girl who shares the office with CCF whom I had talked to before (she caught me while I was praying), stayed to hear the words!
I am more spiritually sensitive. On, Friday I could sense a deceiving spirit within another believer. We were going to evangelize together, but it felt off. He suddenly interrupted me as I was explaining the gospel because he didn't agree with something I said. I talked to him afterwards and foundout he was in serious doubt about the divinity of Jesus and the trinity.....very close to Jehova's witness.
I knew something was wrong because when I talked to him the night before he said that he didn't "feel led by the Spirit to be praying" He started to misquote all these verses from scripture. If this was me a few weeks ago I would've left. But somehow I stay and was able to rebuke from scripture. I tried to call another believer who was strong in the Word and faith to help and of course the other believer started to feel uncomfortable. The spirit in him knew that it was no match for the Spirit of Truth! Nonetheless we sat down and talked it out.
In KNA, the councilors are more unified! We actually prayed together for the FIRST TIME on Friday. The theme was living water right out of John chapter 4. As Chung started to share I suddenly felt a huge spirit of oppression and deceit. The religious one that makes you feel good but doesn't bring about repentence and gives a false illusion of faith in Christ by replacing it with emotion.
I kept praying that God would sweep over the refudge of lies and floodover all the hiding places. Then something broke in the spirit of some of the youth. I was really skeptical at first as to if this was TRULY the work of the Spirit and now some other Spirit, but the youth started to share their burdens, everybody was unified and free to talk to one another and we all felt drawn to prayer. I remembered "where the Spirit if the Lord is there is freedom"
I am also very happy that some believers I have been praying for are starting to seek the Lord more in their life by praying more. I can see the change in their hearts in the way that they pray already!
So yes these are all very small things when it comes to the work of the Lord! But to me they are VERY BIG!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Observer+Partakers
Isn't God amazing? He created people to observe and parttake in creation!
To understand AND experience.
Its perfect.
As we understand we worship as we worship we experience
Never ending for all eternity
In day to day life I find myself marveling at how simple people are. I tend to sit and watch people socialize and eat and wonder at how good it is. Then I realize that I am exactly like that and not any different.
Its funny how we all know innately these simple rules of life. Most of the time unspoken
A gift.
Its funny because we all observe the same things.
We see ourselves in each other, especially our sin and insecurties
and we all know how it should be.
I look to another man and realize im the same.
no different.
then I have a hard time getting over the fact of grace
and can't helped but be overwhelmed
with thankfulness and sorrow
when I realize that I really I'm no different
I used to think that my insights were better than others
that my observations were better
but they're really all the same.
but writing it down really helps!
To understand AND experience.
Its perfect.
As we understand we worship as we worship we experience
Never ending for all eternity
In day to day life I find myself marveling at how simple people are. I tend to sit and watch people socialize and eat and wonder at how good it is. Then I realize that I am exactly like that and not any different.
Its funny how we all know innately these simple rules of life. Most of the time unspoken
A gift.
Its funny because we all observe the same things.
We see ourselves in each other, especially our sin and insecurties
and we all know how it should be.
I look to another man and realize im the same.
no different.
then I have a hard time getting over the fact of grace
and can't helped but be overwhelmed
with thankfulness and sorrow
when I realize that I really I'm no different
I used to think that my insights were better than others
that my observations were better
but they're really all the same.
but writing it down really helps!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
MuD PeOpLe
Mud people
cursed to work the earth
Cain and Abel
the first victims of this curse
no peace for the wicked
day after day toiling away
What does it mean for whom do I work?
In a sun scorched land.
no peace for the wicked
Jealous anger and ones dead
murder, blood that screams retribution
the other restless wander of the earth
no peace for the wicked
few generations wickedness spreads
Lamech strikes many dead
no lament
montrous blood lust
scares wives to submission
no peace for the wicked
Same story here today
Mud people
under the same curse
go go go mud people go
here to there restless wanders on the earth
no peace for the wicked
No more than beasts
little more than apes
carnal minded
flesh
no peace for the wicked
from vainity to vainity
from flesh to flesh
bound to lusts
food, sleep, sex, work, relationships
no freedom from the curse
unsatisfied
not willing to admit
no peace for the wicked
animals uncontrolled
its a zoo with the cages broken
untamed, insane
lawless spirit
drunken wine stupor
no peace for the wicked
vainity comes out
of our eyes, nose, mouth
oozing out a putrid stench
that only the the flames of hell can quench
yet we still fill our soul with more
and it comes out twice as loathesome as before
no peace for the wicked
o Mud people
can't you see?
thinking we own the world
caught up in pride
soon there will be no place to hide
no peace for the wicked
though made a little lower than the angels
by grace
still reflect
the soul of understanding
yet cut off from life
no peace for the wicked
cursed to work the earth
Cain and Abel
the first victims of this curse
no peace for the wicked
day after day toiling away
What does it mean for whom do I work?
In a sun scorched land.
no peace for the wicked
Jealous anger and ones dead
murder, blood that screams retribution
the other restless wander of the earth
no peace for the wicked
few generations wickedness spreads
Lamech strikes many dead
no lament
montrous blood lust
scares wives to submission
no peace for the wicked
Same story here today
Mud people
under the same curse
go go go mud people go
here to there restless wanders on the earth
no peace for the wicked
No more than beasts
little more than apes
carnal minded
flesh
no peace for the wicked
from vainity to vainity
from flesh to flesh
bound to lusts
food, sleep, sex, work, relationships
no freedom from the curse
unsatisfied
not willing to admit
no peace for the wicked
animals uncontrolled
its a zoo with the cages broken
untamed, insane
lawless spirit
drunken wine stupor
no peace for the wicked
vainity comes out
of our eyes, nose, mouth
oozing out a putrid stench
that only the the flames of hell can quench
yet we still fill our soul with more
and it comes out twice as loathesome as before
no peace for the wicked
o Mud people
can't you see?
thinking we own the world
caught up in pride
soon there will be no place to hide
no peace for the wicked
though made a little lower than the angels
by grace
still reflect
the soul of understanding
yet cut off from life
no peace for the wicked
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
1040: One Hour
Could you not keep watch for even one hour?
Keep watch so that you will not fall into temptation
-Jesus Christ
(Matthew 26:40-41)
If everyone who went to 1040 seriously prayed for only ONE hour everyday
Revival would started to happen.
Its really alarming how little believers pray on a regular basis and because we don't pray we rely too much on our own wisdom and knowledge to do God's work. In the end it doesn't do anything because we're not remaining in Him (John 15)
Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ' Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6
Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.
-Apostle Paul
(Philipians 3:17)
So we're supposed to follow the example of Paul or those that live like Paul.
I want to be like..... who? Jesus.
Who reminds me of Jesus?
Jason Ma says he prays 4 hours a day and the Chinese pastors told him that it wasn't enough, that he had to pray 6 hours.
So I'm going to try to pray 4 hours a day from now on!
I am sooo tired right now.
I also have no voice left. I am going to sleep NOW
and then work like mad tomorrow.
When will the Lord awaken the sleeping people?
When will He stir up their spirits?
time is ticking......
Keep watch so that you will not fall into temptation
-Jesus Christ
(Matthew 26:40-41)
If everyone who went to 1040 seriously prayed for only ONE hour everyday
Revival would started to happen.
Its really alarming how little believers pray on a regular basis and because we don't pray we rely too much on our own wisdom and knowledge to do God's work. In the end it doesn't do anything because we're not remaining in Him (John 15)
Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ' Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6
Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.
-Apostle Paul
(Philipians 3:17)
So we're supposed to follow the example of Paul or those that live like Paul.
I want to be like..... who? Jesus.
Who reminds me of Jesus?
Jason Ma says he prays 4 hours a day and the Chinese pastors told him that it wasn't enough, that he had to pray 6 hours.
So I'm going to try to pray 4 hours a day from now on!
I am sooo tired right now.
I also have no voice left. I am going to sleep NOW
and then work like mad tomorrow.
When will the Lord awaken the sleeping people?
When will He stir up their spirits?
time is ticking......
Friday, November 19, 2010
At all Times.
I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will continually be on my lips.
Psalm 34:1
I think David was serious when he said continually.....
There are times when I need to sing praise to God or I feel my soul dying.
Everywhere I go........... its like a massive ball of spiritual power wanting to explode till the point where I HAVE TO LET IT OUT
Wether it be in praise or preaching, teaching, exhorting.
When John Piper says missions exist because worship doesn't ---> so true.
Everywhere I go its getting to the point where I can barely keep myself from wanting to TELL people.
Psalm 34:1
I think David was serious when he said continually.....
There are times when I need to sing praise to God or I feel my soul dying.
Everywhere I go........... its like a massive ball of spiritual power wanting to explode till the point where I HAVE TO LET IT OUT
Wether it be in praise or preaching, teaching, exhorting.
When John Piper says missions exist because worship doesn't ---> so true.
Everywhere I go its getting to the point where I can barely keep myself from wanting to TELL people.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
21 Days
Today is the end of a 21 day fast I was involved in with a group of passionate believers at York. We're contending for Revival! No meat or sweets, media. I decided to cut dairy and eggs too. So my diet consisted mostly of hummus, rice, choi, rasins and nuts. It has been AWESOME getting together to pray everyday and to cry out to the Lord all night on Fridays. The Spirit has really poured out His blessings on us.
I don't even miss the food I gave up, God is SO MUCH BETTER! In fact, I feel so much more energetic and meat sorta seems gross to me now XD.
The Lord has really helped me grow in these past few weeks. He has given me so more revelation as well as strength to witness and serve in His name. When I look back on a few weeks ago compared to now, the fruits of the Spirit have increased quite a lot and it makes me so happy that I am being changed to be more like Him! It was such a struggle to love other belivers and to be humble. In one of our meetings it was prophesied that I needed to humble myself and that God want to do great things through me. This was actually prophesied twice by two different people and I have been getting that prompting in my heart. I still struggle to be humble but now I find that my love has truly increased for them, this is reflected in the fact that I no longer "give up" on them but I'm able to bear with them more. When spiritual attacks come or when sin starts to creep up with extreme feelings of envy, hate or lust, He protects me from them and I can feel Him surrounding my soul so that I don't have to be trapped by all these feelings and spirits from hell.
The Spirit is so much stronger in my life now, The way it manifests in my being is more frequent and for longer periods. I am still confused as to what to do in these times though. I also find that I am naturally praying more and more everywhere I go.
A part of me is actually really scared because I know that I'm going to end up doing something crazy things for the Lord and that is going to lead to persecution.
The truth is I'm SCARED. I'm scared of the jealous feelings other believers will have when they see the amount of grace the Lord has given to me.(I know this because I get like that too and I hate it) I'm scared of being alone, of losing friends that are not walking with the Lord. I'm scared of belivers who just think I'm out of it. I'm just scared of what people think and thats the truth. But what scares me the most isn't what people think. I'm scared that they won't ever be able to understand and experience God in the way that God wants them too! I'm scared for them, that when they die and truly see God they would regret their whole life for the rest of eternity.
I'm so thankful that God has placed me at York where there are believers who understand me and accept me and are like me.
There are many things I don't understand. For example, why not everyone who believes? How come the Lord brought me so far and not others? God's grace is the same for EVERYONE! I haven't done ANYTHING. So one of the conclusions that I have come to is that people have just settled and are MISSING OUT on THE FULLNESS OF GOD. This makes me really sad. They are THORWING AWAY THE GREATEST TREASURE EVER FOR VAINITY. The world is so DECEITFUL.
Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be that name. May your name truly be revered and KNOWN, Not just tossed around.
May you be gracious to us let the light of Your face shine on us.
Let my generation catch a TRUE GLIMPSE of YOUR GLORY.
I don't even miss the food I gave up, God is SO MUCH BETTER! In fact, I feel so much more energetic and meat sorta seems gross to me now XD.
The Lord has really helped me grow in these past few weeks. He has given me so more revelation as well as strength to witness and serve in His name. When I look back on a few weeks ago compared to now, the fruits of the Spirit have increased quite a lot and it makes me so happy that I am being changed to be more like Him! It was such a struggle to love other belivers and to be humble. In one of our meetings it was prophesied that I needed to humble myself and that God want to do great things through me. This was actually prophesied twice by two different people and I have been getting that prompting in my heart. I still struggle to be humble but now I find that my love has truly increased for them, this is reflected in the fact that I no longer "give up" on them but I'm able to bear with them more. When spiritual attacks come or when sin starts to creep up with extreme feelings of envy, hate or lust, He protects me from them and I can feel Him surrounding my soul so that I don't have to be trapped by all these feelings and spirits from hell.
The Spirit is so much stronger in my life now, The way it manifests in my being is more frequent and for longer periods. I am still confused as to what to do in these times though. I also find that I am naturally praying more and more everywhere I go.
A part of me is actually really scared because I know that I'm going to end up doing something crazy things for the Lord and that is going to lead to persecution.
The truth is I'm SCARED. I'm scared of the jealous feelings other believers will have when they see the amount of grace the Lord has given to me.(I know this because I get like that too and I hate it) I'm scared of being alone, of losing friends that are not walking with the Lord. I'm scared of belivers who just think I'm out of it. I'm just scared of what people think and thats the truth. But what scares me the most isn't what people think. I'm scared that they won't ever be able to understand and experience God in the way that God wants them too! I'm scared for them, that when they die and truly see God they would regret their whole life for the rest of eternity.
I'm so thankful that God has placed me at York where there are believers who understand me and accept me and are like me.
There are many things I don't understand. For example, why not everyone who believes? How come the Lord brought me so far and not others? God's grace is the same for EVERYONE! I haven't done ANYTHING. So one of the conclusions that I have come to is that people have just settled and are MISSING OUT on THE FULLNESS OF GOD. This makes me really sad. They are THORWING AWAY THE GREATEST TREASURE EVER FOR VAINITY. The world is so DECEITFUL.
Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be that name. May your name truly be revered and KNOWN, Not just tossed around.
May you be gracious to us let the light of Your face shine on us.
Let my generation catch a TRUE GLIMPSE of YOUR GLORY.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Spiritual Warfare: Be Equipped
The Devil, the roaring lion is on the loose you gotta beware of the things he's trying to do. Because his lair is everywhere thats not been sanctified through and through by the Spirit of truth.The principalities of the world desecarte God's holy temple as in all the people of the world filling their mind, heart souls with countless ideologies mythologies and philosophies. Even what that call scientific fact is most of the time whack, illusions and delusions made up by our fallen mind. I walk through the halls and enter a Spiritual relm where it seems like the light is way to dim to be found because all around are people promoting their gods: from parties, charities, politics, hobbies, concerts to down right frauds. Just the other day walking round York, I saw a huge sign telling people that Christ didn't die, that it was all a lie. People started crowding around, angry especially those that didn't believe because even at the mention of His Name it causes people's souls to feel displeased. Yelling came from a man whos god was liberalism telling off the Muslims to stop stepping on other people's religion.
Spiritual warefare is all around you need to stay awake, be sober minded or you'll drown in the dissipations and day to day tribulations of the world's passions. Many are sleeping and its time to awake, the hour of our salvation is closer than when we first believed. Don't be deceived! Awake O sleeper and Christ will live in you and through you to transform you.
Stand watch on the towers of Zion don't rest until the Lord sends His powerful legions in to the dark regions where spiritual forces are holding the people up and locking down their souls. Call on His name until the Warrior arises and pushes back the forces of darkness with the sword of righteousness.
So soldier you need to be equipped lets go through the basics of what makes a Christian click.....
First things first don't involved in civilian affairs. If you are, then you gotta beware. The devils going to take your double minded heart and weight it down with troubles so that you can't even start.To be clearer, it means that everything else comes secondary to your primary objective. In fact you're so caught up in the work of Christ that you don't even notice or care too much about whats going on in the drama and problems of everyday life. When your not weighed down by the world's strifes then you can start to shine your light.
Lets talk about your basic battle gear. The Lord has a hosts of weapons that He wants to give if you can bear. You see armour is heavy to put on so you need the strength to wear it and the strength comes through PRAYER. Its like training for a long distance race, when you first start off you can barely pace, you quicky burn out and become a disgrace. But as you develop your body to persevere, your lungs start working better, your body more efficiently and soon you can run hard and fast without having to struggle and gasp every step you take.
The breast plate of righteousness covers most of your body, most importantly your heart which is where the enemy wants to pierce so dearly. So its important that you're living a life that is HOLY. If your not living a life separate for God, as soon as you take a step on the field your quickly picked off.But if you got your breast plate on, you can walk boldly and shamelessly out on the field. You don't have to be afriad of anything the enemy has to wield. A righteousness life is what convicts and guards your rep from the devils tricks.
Don't leave your house without you're shield of faith. Its the very thing that will keep you safe. With your shield you can push the enemy back as well as repell his evil attacks. You see, the firey darts of doubt and fear can maime you and if you don't have your shield the flames are going to burn you. With just a little faith you can go a long way breaking through the ranks that can't seemed to be swayed.
Remember to put on your belt of truth. Without it, everything else will fall through the roof. It holds your armour together making everything stick without it, your faith will grow horribly SICK! Holding on to truth is what we need to do because a misplaced faith are like holes in the shield, letting arrows pass through causing us to yield. For example, just the otherday a sister in the faith made a horrible mistake. A part of her faith wasn't on proper doctrine, the devil took the chance to try to take her out, placed some serious doubts. It got to the point where she broke down starting crying "God doesn't exist so why I'm I even trying?" But by the grace of God she got back up because of faithful soldiers who were there to back her up. While we're on that point its extremely important that we don't give up meeting, a cord of three strands is not easily beaten. Praying and worshiping together regularly is the very thing that gives us Spiritual vitality. Petitioning for the each other will keep the devil off our shoulders so that we can grow bolder and not be smoldered by falling into sin.
The next thing we need is feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.As we come to understand the full extent of the gospel from the glory of God, judgement, our depravity, the flames of hell to His tender love, grace and mercy, ours hearts are melted and molded in humilty. The pride that we hold burned away through His Words of purity. The change character is what will allow us to use our feet to speak, work and move effectively and with urgency.
We can't forget the helmet of Salvation we receive this through Christ's propitiation. It protects us from the fatal blows to our heads that are meant strike us dead! Salvation is forever, because of the cross nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. We can be struck down but not destroyed persecuted not abandoned. We can get back up and keep fighting again no matter how many times we get beat up.
The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God is what we have to rebuke the other false gods. For it to be effective you have to let it do its work. Remember its double edged, it needs to pierce through you and change you before it can use you to shine into the hearts of the lost. Then when the enemy attacks with his sword of lies then bang bang bang you can meet them stroke for stroke you can fend them off clag clang clang and slice through and expose the illusions and strongholds of their soul.
The last thing that needs to be addressed is how to pray in the SPIRIT... well the truth is that it comes with living in holiness. Remember the body is the temple of God, so the Spirit dwells in our heart, mind and soul. But you see we can easily quench the Spirits flame if we decide to fill the temple with things that descrate His Name. Remember God dwelled with His people in the desert? The people could be seen with the glory of God with them, but they had to stay CLEAN!
In the same way the biblical concept still applies today! The things that you watch, to what you do with your time, to the friends that you have you gotta be careful. cuz honestly 99% of the stuff on TV belongs in the trash. Its easy to tune out the voice of truth amidst the many temptations of youth. As we get rid of the other voices outside then we can start to hear the one voice that lives inside that will counsel and teach us how pray in truth.
are you ready to fight the fight to run the race? Its not easy it will take all your might and you'll lose all your rights but its worth it because its for Jesus Christ~
(Ephesians 6)
Spiritual warefare is all around you need to stay awake, be sober minded or you'll drown in the dissipations and day to day tribulations of the world's passions. Many are sleeping and its time to awake, the hour of our salvation is closer than when we first believed. Don't be deceived! Awake O sleeper and Christ will live in you and through you to transform you.
Stand watch on the towers of Zion don't rest until the Lord sends His powerful legions in to the dark regions where spiritual forces are holding the people up and locking down their souls. Call on His name until the Warrior arises and pushes back the forces of darkness with the sword of righteousness.
So soldier you need to be equipped lets go through the basics of what makes a Christian click.....
First things first don't involved in civilian affairs. If you are, then you gotta beware. The devils going to take your double minded heart and weight it down with troubles so that you can't even start.To be clearer, it means that everything else comes secondary to your primary objective. In fact you're so caught up in the work of Christ that you don't even notice or care too much about whats going on in the drama and problems of everyday life. When your not weighed down by the world's strifes then you can start to shine your light.
Lets talk about your basic battle gear. The Lord has a hosts of weapons that He wants to give if you can bear. You see armour is heavy to put on so you need the strength to wear it and the strength comes through PRAYER. Its like training for a long distance race, when you first start off you can barely pace, you quicky burn out and become a disgrace. But as you develop your body to persevere, your lungs start working better, your body more efficiently and soon you can run hard and fast without having to struggle and gasp every step you take.
The breast plate of righteousness covers most of your body, most importantly your heart which is where the enemy wants to pierce so dearly. So its important that you're living a life that is HOLY. If your not living a life separate for God, as soon as you take a step on the field your quickly picked off.But if you got your breast plate on, you can walk boldly and shamelessly out on the field. You don't have to be afriad of anything the enemy has to wield. A righteousness life is what convicts and guards your rep from the devils tricks.
Don't leave your house without you're shield of faith. Its the very thing that will keep you safe. With your shield you can push the enemy back as well as repell his evil attacks. You see, the firey darts of doubt and fear can maime you and if you don't have your shield the flames are going to burn you. With just a little faith you can go a long way breaking through the ranks that can't seemed to be swayed.
Remember to put on your belt of truth. Without it, everything else will fall through the roof. It holds your armour together making everything stick without it, your faith will grow horribly SICK! Holding on to truth is what we need to do because a misplaced faith are like holes in the shield, letting arrows pass through causing us to yield. For example, just the otherday a sister in the faith made a horrible mistake. A part of her faith wasn't on proper doctrine, the devil took the chance to try to take her out, placed some serious doubts. It got to the point where she broke down starting crying "God doesn't exist so why I'm I even trying?" But by the grace of God she got back up because of faithful soldiers who were there to back her up. While we're on that point its extremely important that we don't give up meeting, a cord of three strands is not easily beaten. Praying and worshiping together regularly is the very thing that gives us Spiritual vitality. Petitioning for the each other will keep the devil off our shoulders so that we can grow bolder and not be smoldered by falling into sin.
The next thing we need is feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.As we come to understand the full extent of the gospel from the glory of God, judgement, our depravity, the flames of hell to His tender love, grace and mercy, ours hearts are melted and molded in humilty. The pride that we hold burned away through His Words of purity. The change character is what will allow us to use our feet to speak, work and move effectively and with urgency.
We can't forget the helmet of Salvation we receive this through Christ's propitiation. It protects us from the fatal blows to our heads that are meant strike us dead! Salvation is forever, because of the cross nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. We can be struck down but not destroyed persecuted not abandoned. We can get back up and keep fighting again no matter how many times we get beat up.
The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God is what we have to rebuke the other false gods. For it to be effective you have to let it do its work. Remember its double edged, it needs to pierce through you and change you before it can use you to shine into the hearts of the lost. Then when the enemy attacks with his sword of lies then bang bang bang you can meet them stroke for stroke you can fend them off clag clang clang and slice through and expose the illusions and strongholds of their soul.
The last thing that needs to be addressed is how to pray in the SPIRIT... well the truth is that it comes with living in holiness. Remember the body is the temple of God, so the Spirit dwells in our heart, mind and soul. But you see we can easily quench the Spirits flame if we decide to fill the temple with things that descrate His Name. Remember God dwelled with His people in the desert? The people could be seen with the glory of God with them, but they had to stay CLEAN!
In the same way the biblical concept still applies today! The things that you watch, to what you do with your time, to the friends that you have you gotta be careful. cuz honestly 99% of the stuff on TV belongs in the trash. Its easy to tune out the voice of truth amidst the many temptations of youth. As we get rid of the other voices outside then we can start to hear the one voice that lives inside that will counsel and teach us how pray in truth.
are you ready to fight the fight to run the race? Its not easy it will take all your might and you'll lose all your rights but its worth it because its for Jesus Christ~
(Ephesians 6)
Monday, November 8, 2010
O God
my depravity is becoming greater and greater in my conscious reality.
it reaches the heavens like a stench in the sky.
im amazed and dumbfounded that I haven't been squashed like a fly.
So I looked around and start to see that we are all like dust on a scale.
and honestly our pride is bigger than that of a whale.
All of us put together is like a single breathe
but when asked to give thanks to the Creator, we won't even confess
When we compare ourselves to the eternal God who doesn't need to rest
We always get tired, thirsty and hungry its clear that were a mess
Our life is like a vapour thats quicky blown away
but to God 1000 years is like a second, even less than a day
Yet we go on with our lives we say to the potter that we are not the clay
but that everything happened without a Creator's say.
I eat the dust like a worm on the ground.
Even though I know I was once lost and I'm now found
When I think about these facts its hard to get my mind around it
cuz most of the time I'm still confounded
that I'm still so blinded to the glorious God who saved me and is all around me.
but that a part of me still doesn't want to give Him the glory.
I am poor and needy I got nothing good on my own.
The things that I have, I have from crying before His gracious throne
Im amazed that He is so generous every time I ask, He gives charging no interest and responds super fast!
He is faithful to the end, even when I'm not. Its clear that without His love my thirsty soul would rot.
My knees hit the floor before the King of Glory, My heart jumps for joy, thrilled to be a part of His story. My soul longs for more as I gaze at His beauty. He's the one treasure that I've been looking for.
it reaches the heavens like a stench in the sky.
im amazed and dumbfounded that I haven't been squashed like a fly.
So I looked around and start to see that we are all like dust on a scale.
and honestly our pride is bigger than that of a whale.
All of us put together is like a single breathe
but when asked to give thanks to the Creator, we won't even confess
When we compare ourselves to the eternal God who doesn't need to rest
We always get tired, thirsty and hungry its clear that were a mess
Our life is like a vapour thats quicky blown away
but to God 1000 years is like a second, even less than a day
Yet we go on with our lives we say to the potter that we are not the clay
but that everything happened without a Creator's say.
I eat the dust like a worm on the ground.
Even though I know I was once lost and I'm now found
When I think about these facts its hard to get my mind around it
cuz most of the time I'm still confounded
that I'm still so blinded to the glorious God who saved me and is all around me.
but that a part of me still doesn't want to give Him the glory.
I am poor and needy I got nothing good on my own.
The things that I have, I have from crying before His gracious throne
Im amazed that He is so generous every time I ask, He gives charging no interest and responds super fast!
He is faithful to the end, even when I'm not. Its clear that without His love my thirsty soul would rot.
My knees hit the floor before the King of Glory, My heart jumps for joy, thrilled to be a part of His story. My soul longs for more as I gaze at His beauty. He's the one treasure that I've been looking for.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Random Updates.
I needed a place to pray, except the Muslims took over all the rooms so I decided to sit on a bench and pray behind a Muslim booth trying to convert people. I was there praying and singing for one hour. When your in the spirit nothing really seems to matter to you anymore so I was sorta surprised when I Muslim guy asked me what I was doing and I happily told him the gospel. Except the pharisaical spirit blocked it from true understanding...its the same when talking to all Muslims. If your not equiped the spirit seriously causes you to feel weak and doubt A LOT. My friend told me thats her experience whenever she talks to them (my friend is still new in the faith). The theological points she gets right but its just serious spiritual attack cuz they always throw the same arugment from man's wisdom which is:
1. How can Jesus be God and man?
2. The bible is distorted and altered how can you know its 100% true?
What sorta scared me is that the spirit of the Muslims is rampant in the Chinese Church.
What else?
hmmm well here are a few verses that have been speaking to me:
From Jeremiah:
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed[a]
so they cannot hear.
The word of the LORD is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
Chapter 6.
11"They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.
20"Harvest is past, summer is ended,
And we are not saved."
Chapter 8
From Isaiah
13But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
17Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
Chapter 28
9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Chapter 55
1Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Chapter 59
19The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.20Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Chapter 60
6On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent
You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves;
7And give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Chapter 62
7Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.8Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.9Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
Chapter 66
1. How can Jesus be God and man?
2. The bible is distorted and altered how can you know its 100% true?
What sorta scared me is that the spirit of the Muslims is rampant in the Chinese Church.
What else?
hmmm well here are a few verses that have been speaking to me:
From Jeremiah:
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed[a]
so they cannot hear.
The word of the LORD is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
Chapter 6.
11"They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.
20"Harvest is past, summer is ended,
And we are not saved."
Chapter 8
From Isaiah
13But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
17Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
Chapter 28
9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Chapter 55
1Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Chapter 59
19The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.20Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Chapter 60
6On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent
You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves;
7And give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Chapter 62
7Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.8Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.9Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
Chapter 66
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Be strong and courageous
9"Have I not commanded you? )Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9
7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7
30Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Isaiah 40:30-31
1I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:31
Prayer is key!
After they PRAYED they were filled with the Holy Spirit and were able to do God`s work!
Our strength comes from God! He gives us a spirit of power and love and self-discipline!
When we wait on him we will renew our strength! Day by day!
SO when you feel like you want to act in faith but are too scared....PRAY!
Joshua 1:9
7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7
30Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Isaiah 40:30-31
1I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:31
Prayer is key!
After they PRAYED they were filled with the Holy Spirit and were able to do God`s work!
Our strength comes from God! He gives us a spirit of power and love and self-discipline!
When we wait on him we will renew our strength! Day by day!
SO when you feel like you want to act in faith but are too scared....PRAY!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
When
I pray.....
I am suddenly whisked into another world, another dimension.
Where the reality that I live here on earth becomes a dream and what once seemed like a far away faith in God becomes real. It is here that my hidden life is revealed. It is here that I am in true reality. My spirit appears before the throne of God most High, while my body stays back on Earth. As I pray, the spiritual becomes more real than the physical and soon has control over the sin of my flesh. As I force myself to stay in the presence of the Lord, I slowly change..... Nothing else matters anymore save to please Him, to adore Him and to know Him better. I am utterly broken and in awe of His presence washing over my spirit. I cannot fathom His being, it is a mystery and my greatest joy. My body yearns and my soul thirsts for the great sustainer of my existence. I worship and give Him control of my body, it starts to move according to the billions of worshippers beside me all in perfect sync exalting the Glorious King. Here, He is the choreographer and teaches me to dance for Him. Here He is in control of all things. Every creature before His throne, every worshipper before His presence, He knows and directs. Strange songs come forth from my mouth like a fountain that has been blocked with the refuse and is now ready to explode. I sing songs of joy. My mind does not understand the foreign syllables that are sung, but my spirit knows the meaning behind each phrase. They are the songs of the city of Zion! Whose meaning only those born in Zion the city of God, the New Jerusalem can understand.
I start to cry out to my God and interceede for the lost, among me I am joined by millions of other intercessors around the world crying out to The Most High to pour out His mercy and grace on the world. Our prayers go up to Him and He strengthens us with peace, joy and boldness to do His work. We continue to minister by the house of the Lord until we are filled to the brim overflowing with love.
and still even then we cry out once more for the lost and broken, for the fallen and deceived. AGAIN more more more perhaps this time the Lord will answer, perhaps this time He will finally pour out His annointing and Spirit and heal our land
Send hail to sweep away the refuge of lies, And waters to overflow the hiding place.
My body is getting restless. It cannot endure this kind of concentration and discipline for that long. With my spirit filled, I leave and zoom out to see the most breath taking, majestic, awesome, fearsome, beautiful scene.......
Far grander than the displays of the heavenly bodies
Far more brillant than the light from the sun
Far greater thant the vast dephs of the ocean
It is indescribable
It is the very throne room of the Lord strong and mighty.
The Lord mighty in battle.
I am suddenly whisked into another world, another dimension.
Where the reality that I live here on earth becomes a dream and what once seemed like a far away faith in God becomes real. It is here that my hidden life is revealed. It is here that I am in true reality. My spirit appears before the throne of God most High, while my body stays back on Earth. As I pray, the spiritual becomes more real than the physical and soon has control over the sin of my flesh. As I force myself to stay in the presence of the Lord, I slowly change..... Nothing else matters anymore save to please Him, to adore Him and to know Him better. I am utterly broken and in awe of His presence washing over my spirit. I cannot fathom His being, it is a mystery and my greatest joy. My body yearns and my soul thirsts for the great sustainer of my existence. I worship and give Him control of my body, it starts to move according to the billions of worshippers beside me all in perfect sync exalting the Glorious King. Here, He is the choreographer and teaches me to dance for Him. Here He is in control of all things. Every creature before His throne, every worshipper before His presence, He knows and directs. Strange songs come forth from my mouth like a fountain that has been blocked with the refuse and is now ready to explode. I sing songs of joy. My mind does not understand the foreign syllables that are sung, but my spirit knows the meaning behind each phrase. They are the songs of the city of Zion! Whose meaning only those born in Zion the city of God, the New Jerusalem can understand.
I start to cry out to my God and interceede for the lost, among me I am joined by millions of other intercessors around the world crying out to The Most High to pour out His mercy and grace on the world. Our prayers go up to Him and He strengthens us with peace, joy and boldness to do His work. We continue to minister by the house of the Lord until we are filled to the brim overflowing with love.
and still even then we cry out once more for the lost and broken, for the fallen and deceived. AGAIN more more more perhaps this time the Lord will answer, perhaps this time He will finally pour out His annointing and Spirit and heal our land
Send hail to sweep away the refuge of lies, And waters to overflow the hiding place.
My body is getting restless. It cannot endure this kind of concentration and discipline for that long. With my spirit filled, I leave and zoom out to see the most breath taking, majestic, awesome, fearsome, beautiful scene.......
Far grander than the displays of the heavenly bodies
Far more brillant than the light from the sun
Far greater thant the vast dephs of the ocean
It is indescribable
It is the very throne room of the Lord strong and mighty.
The Lord mighty in battle.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Why Blog
I really don`t have much to say.
Just click the link and pray.
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=19020&commentView=itemComments
Just click the link and pray.
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=19020&commentView=itemComments
Monday, October 11, 2010
Look Up!
Today I read all day about the Greeks for school.
SO0o0o0o DISTURBING to the max!
I seriously wanted to spend the time in prayer cuz I could feel my soul dying, except the work has piled up. So I endured and made do with singing worship songs in between readings.
I also tried to do family devotions today
except my father was too tired and my sister just yelled no.
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.
Psalm 18:32-35
SO0o0o0o DISTURBING to the max!
I seriously wanted to spend the time in prayer cuz I could feel my soul dying, except the work has piled up. So I endured and made do with singing worship songs in between readings.
I also tried to do family devotions today
except my father was too tired and my sister just yelled no.
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.
Psalm 18:32-35
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Dust.
O Lord its from the dust that you made me
and its from the dust that you raised me.
You sustain and me together every atom, cell and hair on my head
Every decision that I make from the time that I wake till when I go to bed.
You are the most sovereign, high above all things. Nothing can match your infinite glory. So as I worm on the ground my knees hit the floor I scream for your mercy as if I were a whore, cuz that's what my people all are. By your grace, let me marvel at your glory and be a part of your story.
I know that my life is hanging delicately in the palm your hands
Every tick of the clock it brings me quicker to the day that I will stand
before you sitting on throne of judgment. Every aspect of my life laid bare before you in a second.
I pray that my eyes won't grow blind to your beauty, power, majesty all of who you are stretching from all eternity.
I pray that I will never compromise and listen to the devil's lies. Make me bold in the faith so I won't go astray and play it safe.
People trying to tell me that You're something that You're not. People thinking that they got it, that they're hot when they're not. They tell me that I'm too hot that I need to cool down but the way we're doing things isn't doctrinally sound. So I need to sound the bell to the watchtower so the blood isn't on my hands even of they refuse the demands that are written in the living Word at least they can't say that they never heard.
Oh no! doubts thrown at me from all sides. I'm barely holding on, this is a hell of a ride. Gotta hold firm to the truth of what you have revealed me. Need to be a good steward of the grace you have given me and you have strengthened me with Your all surpassing joy. In my heart I know that I don't need to cool down but need to heat up and not cover light that I was given to shine though it be blinding to the darkness of the people all around its the only way to show the lost how to be found.
O Lord I don't want this task can't you give me something less whack but
If you're at my right hand I won't be shaken though the world around me be quaking.
and its from the dust that you raised me.
You sustain and me together every atom, cell and hair on my head
Every decision that I make from the time that I wake till when I go to bed.
You are the most sovereign, high above all things. Nothing can match your infinite glory. So as I worm on the ground my knees hit the floor I scream for your mercy as if I were a whore, cuz that's what my people all are. By your grace, let me marvel at your glory and be a part of your story.
I know that my life is hanging delicately in the palm your hands
Every tick of the clock it brings me quicker to the day that I will stand
before you sitting on throne of judgment. Every aspect of my life laid bare before you in a second.
I pray that my eyes won't grow blind to your beauty, power, majesty all of who you are stretching from all eternity.
I pray that I will never compromise and listen to the devil's lies. Make me bold in the faith so I won't go astray and play it safe.
People trying to tell me that You're something that You're not. People thinking that they got it, that they're hot when they're not. They tell me that I'm too hot that I need to cool down but the way we're doing things isn't doctrinally sound. So I need to sound the bell to the watchtower so the blood isn't on my hands even of they refuse the demands that are written in the living Word at least they can't say that they never heard.
Oh no! doubts thrown at me from all sides. I'm barely holding on, this is a hell of a ride. Gotta hold firm to the truth of what you have revealed me. Need to be a good steward of the grace you have given me and you have strengthened me with Your all surpassing joy. In my heart I know that I don't need to cool down but need to heat up and not cover light that I was given to shine though it be blinding to the darkness of the people all around its the only way to show the lost how to be found.
O Lord I don't want this task can't you give me something less whack but
If you're at my right hand I won't be shaken though the world around me be quaking.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Rejoice!
In the Lord ALWAYS! I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philipians 4:4
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
Philipains 3:1
When was the last time you rejoiced? Like soo filled with joy that you couldn't help but dance, sing, shout to the Lord?
Paul says its a "safeguard" as in it is IMPORTANT to rejoice to guard against spiritual attacks the devil wants to throw at you!
If your not able to rejoice
Something is WRONG spiritually.Check your life!
Are you seekng the Lord daily and taking up your cross?
or is the world sucking the joy out of you?
You can't be filled with God's blessings if your filled with the world!
because the fruit of the spirit is LOVE THEN JOY THEN PEACE!
Philipians 4:4
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
Philipains 3:1
When was the last time you rejoiced? Like soo filled with joy that you couldn't help but dance, sing, shout to the Lord?
Paul says its a "safeguard" as in it is IMPORTANT to rejoice to guard against spiritual attacks the devil wants to throw at you!
If your not able to rejoice
Something is WRONG spiritually.Check your life!
Are you seekng the Lord daily and taking up your cross?
or is the world sucking the joy out of you?
You can't be filled with God's blessings if your filled with the world!
because the fruit of the spirit is LOVE THEN JOY THEN PEACE!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
A Generation......
3Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
And who may stand in His holy place?
4He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.
5He shall receive a blessing from the LORD
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6This is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face--even Jacob. Selah
Psalm 24
We need to be the generation of the Lord!
We need clean hands. We need pure hearts.
This is NOT EASY
The other day I was at one of the most intense worship gatherings ever. The Spirit came because the people in that room were seekers of the Lord Almighty.
We had someone exposit Psalm 24 into three points and everyone was AMENING to the following:
1)Coming Together in Unity – Psalms 133 – where the brethren gather together in unity God commands his blessing. Acts 2:1-2 - they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
We need to gather together to WORSHIP and to PRAY. We need to do nothing else but those two things when we meet seeking the face of the Lord together and waiting upon Him. That is what true fellowship is. It isn`t socialing. It isn`t doing fun activities together like cookng. (we have changed its meaning in today's culture so much that it isn't biblical)
2)Consecration – 1 Peter 1:14-16 - As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
We need to set ourselves APART. To be holy means to be separate. This means separating yourself from the junk of the media. Cut it out of your life! If your filling your mind with that stuff, its gonna affect your soul and your heart. The Holy Spirit is gonna be effectively quenched in your life because your already full of unholy junk. Consecrating ourselves also takes sacrifice. We need time to BE with the Lord in the place of worship. So this is going to mean spending less time with friends and being WISE with the time you do have. Don't waste it. Spend as much time with God as possible.
3)Consistency in Prayer – James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
This is key. Jesus spent soo much time praying and it is mentioned in the gospels countless times. When the apostles first started their ministry they prayed.
3 Brothers, choose seven of your men. They must be known as men who are wise and full of the Holy Spirit. We will turn this important work over to them. 4 Then we can give our attention to prayer and to teaching the word."
Acts 6:3-4
In fact they gave other work that was NOT prayer and teaching to other men.
Paul also says:
2 Spend a lot of time in prayer. Always be watchful and thankful.
Colossians 4:2
All the great men and woman of God in the past got on their knees and PRAYED.
Prayer shows your humilty and dependence on God. The more you pray the more you are showing your need for God. The less you pray the more you think you can do it on your own.
If you do these things and PERSEVERE in them God will start to use you
If you don't you can bear no fruit and you'll be wasting your time.
Because Jesus says:
5 "I am the vine. You are the branches. If anyone remains joined to me, and I to him, he will bear a lot of fruit. You can't do anything without me. 6 If anyone does not remain joined to me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and dries up. Branches like those are picked up. They are thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:5-6
How are you remaining in Jesus if you aren't praying?
How are you remaining in Jesus if your living a life that isn't holy? If your hung up on girls or guys or school?
How are you remaining in Jesus if you don't gather to worship Him or want to worship Him?
There are many people who are serving God but they're not living holy lives.
There are many pastors serving God but they aren't praying.
There's no power when they speak, they're faith is weak and their teaching is border line heretical. They're scared to preach truth because they fear man and not God.
They fear because they do it on their own strength.
and we wonder why the church is so stagnant?
Don't be like the generation of our parents.
Seek God He will strengthen you and uphold you if you trust and obey Him!
And who may stand in His holy place?
4He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.
5He shall receive a blessing from the LORD
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6This is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face--even Jacob. Selah
Psalm 24
We need to be the generation of the Lord!
We need clean hands. We need pure hearts.
This is NOT EASY
The other day I was at one of the most intense worship gatherings ever. The Spirit came because the people in that room were seekers of the Lord Almighty.
We had someone exposit Psalm 24 into three points and everyone was AMENING to the following:
1)Coming Together in Unity – Psalms 133 – where the brethren gather together in unity God commands his blessing. Acts 2:1-2 - they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
We need to gather together to WORSHIP and to PRAY. We need to do nothing else but those two things when we meet seeking the face of the Lord together and waiting upon Him. That is what true fellowship is. It isn`t socialing. It isn`t doing fun activities together like cookng. (we have changed its meaning in today's culture so much that it isn't biblical)
2)Consecration – 1 Peter 1:14-16 - As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
We need to set ourselves APART. To be holy means to be separate. This means separating yourself from the junk of the media. Cut it out of your life! If your filling your mind with that stuff, its gonna affect your soul and your heart. The Holy Spirit is gonna be effectively quenched in your life because your already full of unholy junk. Consecrating ourselves also takes sacrifice. We need time to BE with the Lord in the place of worship. So this is going to mean spending less time with friends and being WISE with the time you do have. Don't waste it. Spend as much time with God as possible.
3)Consistency in Prayer – James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
This is key. Jesus spent soo much time praying and it is mentioned in the gospels countless times. When the apostles first started their ministry they prayed.
3 Brothers, choose seven of your men. They must be known as men who are wise and full of the Holy Spirit. We will turn this important work over to them. 4 Then we can give our attention to prayer and to teaching the word."
Acts 6:3-4
In fact they gave other work that was NOT prayer and teaching to other men.
Paul also says:
2 Spend a lot of time in prayer. Always be watchful and thankful.
Colossians 4:2
All the great men and woman of God in the past got on their knees and PRAYED.
Prayer shows your humilty and dependence on God. The more you pray the more you are showing your need for God. The less you pray the more you think you can do it on your own.
If you do these things and PERSEVERE in them God will start to use you
If you don't you can bear no fruit and you'll be wasting your time.
Because Jesus says:
5 "I am the vine. You are the branches. If anyone remains joined to me, and I to him, he will bear a lot of fruit. You can't do anything without me. 6 If anyone does not remain joined to me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and dries up. Branches like those are picked up. They are thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:5-6
How are you remaining in Jesus if you aren't praying?
How are you remaining in Jesus if your living a life that isn't holy? If your hung up on girls or guys or school?
How are you remaining in Jesus if you don't gather to worship Him or want to worship Him?
There are many people who are serving God but they're not living holy lives.
There are many pastors serving God but they aren't praying.
There's no power when they speak, they're faith is weak and their teaching is border line heretical. They're scared to preach truth because they fear man and not God.
They fear because they do it on their own strength.
and we wonder why the church is so stagnant?
Don't be like the generation of our parents.
Seek God He will strengthen you and uphold you if you trust and obey Him!
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