I hear it loud and clear tonight.
LISTEN AND PARTICIPATE. That is how God wants his leaders to be focussing their energy in this season. Once the shock, anger and grieving have made its way through your heart, you will be filled with a sense of peace. And at that time, listen and participate. Resist the temptation to be filled with self pity. Tell the spirit of confusion that you see clearly now.
Each person will hear something different and God will ask each person to cooperate with him in a unique way. But as people turn their affections towards God again, it will become a beautiful symphony of unity and power in the body.
Those who have received much from the past leaders will find a new clarity. They will see the truth. Especially those in leadership positions will be able to discern which teachings they should bring out in this season. They will be able to redeem what others are tempted to throw out.
Those who feel lost because their "covering" is gone will begin have a new trust in God. They will receive a new grace to hear from God directly. They will be comforted. They will be able to share with others what they have broken through in.
A new season of intimacy with God is arriving. There is hunger rising. There is a desparation. People are looking for something to hold on to. A source to receive love.
A new level of supernatural gifts will be poured out on the people. The hungry will be fed. As we cry out together as a body in unity, the Holy Spirit will come in a way we have not yet experienced.
But we all must listen. Especially those in authority. And when we see and hear what God is doing, we must cooperate. We must raise our hands and participate. We must not let a drop of hurt spoil the whole pot. If we let our anger, bitterness or self pity hold us back, then we must question whose side we are on.
God heals, redeems, equips and blesses. There is joy in the work. There is favour in obedience ... And at the end of the day, he just loves that we are each trying our best. :):):):):):)
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
As the dust settles
As the dust settles, I am noticing that I have changed. My faith is coming back. My view of God is larger. My trust in people's words has lessened. I am more cautious. But still excited. I have a new trust in God. I have seen him carry us through a very strange season.
As I have become more aware of the imperfections of humanity, I have developed a greater patience and grace for people. I have a greater sense of awe towards God because I am realizing more and more that there is so little I understand. He really is infinitely more wise and powerful than I am and truly need to continue trusting him more.
As my trust in God grows, I find myself excited about what God can do through me. I feel like I will be better at getting out of his way!
I feel a renewed hunger for the power of the Holy Spirit. I feel like our community is maturing and becoming wiser and will be able to steward gifts and authority better than in the past.
It is good. I'm glad I'm here. I believe that God is preparing us for something we can't even imagine.
Prov 11:27 "If you search for good, you will find favour, but if you search for evil, it will find you!" (NLT)
As I have become more aware of the imperfections of humanity, I have developed a greater patience and grace for people. I have a greater sense of awe towards God because I am realizing more and more that there is so little I understand. He really is infinitely more wise and powerful than I am and truly need to continue trusting him more.
As my trust in God grows, I find myself excited about what God can do through me. I feel like I will be better at getting out of his way!
I feel a renewed hunger for the power of the Holy Spirit. I feel like our community is maturing and becoming wiser and will be able to steward gifts and authority better than in the past.
It is good. I'm glad I'm here. I believe that God is preparing us for something we can't even imagine.
Prov 11:27 "If you search for good, you will find favour, but if you search for evil, it will find you!" (NLT)
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
A harvest of blessing is coming
This is a long passage, but an important one for this season.
"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens and in this way, obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
Don't be misled. You cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." - Galatians 6:1-9
What an awesome passage to guide our community as we learn to relate to each other in a new way. My heart still grieves over broken relationships at NJ. I continue to contend for the healing of injured hearts. Sometimes I find myself not knowing what to do or what to say ... If anything at all. I find myself paralyzed with fear of falling into a trap of gossip or suspicion. But this passage encourages me to still stand along side my friends, being gentle and humble as we discuss their sin. (Just as my dear friends have confronted me on my sin!) And I can continue on in my ministry with excellence, without giving up. I am encouraged that this is not all for nothing. There WILL be fruit and their WILL be blessing.... At just the right time.
Pastor Steve is exhorting us to keep a soft and prayerful heart towards God this season. I smile as I think back a couple months ago when I had to fight off bitterness that tried to make a home in my heart. Thank God I won that battle. :)
"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens and in this way, obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
Don't be misled. You cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." - Galatians 6:1-9
What an awesome passage to guide our community as we learn to relate to each other in a new way. My heart still grieves over broken relationships at NJ. I continue to contend for the healing of injured hearts. Sometimes I find myself not knowing what to do or what to say ... If anything at all. I find myself paralyzed with fear of falling into a trap of gossip or suspicion. But this passage encourages me to still stand along side my friends, being gentle and humble as we discuss their sin. (Just as my dear friends have confronted me on my sin!) And I can continue on in my ministry with excellence, without giving up. I am encouraged that this is not all for nothing. There WILL be fruit and their WILL be blessing.... At just the right time.
Pastor Steve is exhorting us to keep a soft and prayerful heart towards God this season. I smile as I think back a couple months ago when I had to fight off bitterness that tried to make a home in my heart. Thank God I won that battle. :)
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Proverbs 3
When you are in the middle of a storm, sometimes it's hard to tell which way is up and which way is down. You see all sorts of people running for cover, panicking and crying over all that has been lost.
"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil." Prov. 3:7
I feel like I have been wise in my own eyes.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" Prov 3:5
And I also feel like I have been leaning on my own understanding.
Many times I am the one who sees the clouds coming and have been filled with fear and panic. I have been overtaken by a spirit of control. And I felt a need to fix something. To find what went wrong and correct it. Or WHO went wrong. Oh, it's been an awful year.
This is my day to repent and turn my eyes back up towards God. I am finished crying over the carnage. I am ready to move on.
Today Pastor Steve said that if you are a Christian, and the enemy makes a mark (ie abortion, child slavery) and you do not do anything, it makes one wonder what side you are really on.
Well, the enemy has been in our NJ community and I am ready for battle. We are locusts, consuming all the work of the enemy!
Sunday Sermon: Let Hope Arise
Today P Steve is preaching about hope!!! He says when we are going through a storm, it's easy to only see the storm with your natural senses. But we need to persevere and see with the spiritual senses. Then see things from the view of the future.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Proverbs 1 and 2
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:7
Wisdom, compassion, honor. Those are some things that have been on my heart lately. I feel like God is about to show me a whole new level of wisdom, compassion and honor. But I feel like it is not something that is easy to attain. It is something I must fight for.
That is why I am beginning this blog. My vision is for this to be a place where I fiercely battle for what God is wanting to show me. It is not a place to complain, criticize or judge. I don't want to open any doors to the enemy here. It is about what God is revealing. It is encouraging and full of good fruit!
This month, I have begun a study into Proverbs and it is the verse listed above that jumps out at me the most. Much of my lamenting over the past few months have been about how I don't understand what is going on. There are so many mysteries moving through our NJ community and I find myself asking God WHY these things are happening.
"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-5
This is my prayer as I begin this study of Proverbs.
Lord, SHOW ME what it looks like from your perspective. REVEAL to me a new paradigm. HELP me to turn from my old ways and walk with YOU to move forward.
Thank you Lord, that you are my safe place, my place of comfort and the ultimate place to receive ALL that I need to thrive each day.
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