His heart hears our cry. He is there for us each and every time we fall. He pleads with us for our time. If we would just seek His face, we would have our instructions for life. He longs to teach us. He needs our submissiveness because there is so much work to be done in a small amount of time. He needs us to go. Let's stir ourselves up and pray for God's heart. He longs to have a relationship with us... Not us and twitter, not us and facebook, not us and that random... He wants our undivided, selfless attention. He can't work with our hearts or fix them if we don't give Him the whole heart to work with. He interceedes for us constantly. He prays for our dedication to His purpose. Don't ignore His unfailing love. It is there for you unconditionally. We are only here for a little while, then we go home to be with Him forever. Make this vapor of time you have been given count - all for His glory.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Show
There are so many different preachers, denominations, and ministries out there! How does one know what is biblically sound? The devil's objective is to decieve and confuse us - anything to keep people from finding God's love. I have several ministers that I listen to on a regular basis. I have prayed for God to give me a spirit of discernment before allowing myself to be fed by anyone spiritually. If there message is not biblically sound, does not edify you, does not help you grow, or is not giving you a peace - DON'T ALLOW IT INTO YOUR HEART. It is so important to guard your gates.
I recently had a dream about one minister I had been praying about. I am not going to disclose who he is - but I will say that he ministers to a megachurch in the USA. Several things I have seen on his programs were questionable, or so I thought. My dream is as follows:
I was attending a conference or orientation session of some sort and being that I have such a heart for worship - I asked the hotel clerk (which was connected to the church) to please let me know when it was time for worship again. The lady came to get me and said "it's ok to come now - worship is begining in a few minutes". I went into this huge auditorium. The sanctuary did not look the same as it did on tv. It was a bit larger and the color scheme was a different, like a mustard-yellow color. The stage/platform was the same. Immediately I noticed that there was trash everywhere - it looked as if a stadium would after a football game. I found a seat in one of the movie-theatre style seating against a wall on an upper balcony. Worship started - the music was captivating and phenominal. All of a sudden, these roller derby chicks came into the isles and started skating all around the sanctuary. They were typical roller derby style chicks - pushing and shoving each other. They did not appear to be racing, but just skating around at a very aggressive speed. Then it dawned on me that they were participating in this worship while they were skating. Just at that time - one of the girls smacked into the wall beside me. She fell on her back but worship never stopped. It was a surreal experience to see this girl singing as she layed on the ground recovering from the fall. After worship, the pastor came on stage - he was preaching his very passion out. It was as if he was pleading with the crowd to get his message. He was so passionate and desparate for it to be grabbed. My attention turned from his anointed message to the congregation. No one was paying attention or watching. They were all captivated by the roller derby activities. My heart ached for the pastor trying to reach his congregation with the message from the Lord.
When I woke up - I asked God what the signifigance of the dream was - He told me that the pastor has a message that He gave to him but the church was too caught up in "the show" to hear the message. Many people were there but their motives were wrong. They wanted to see the lights and hear about the blessings but few if any were truley interested in the holiness that our Saviour is pleading with us for.
Many churches today have dimmed lights, light displays, and cool media shows to accompany our worship today. I personally prefer it that way and do not have a problem with it - however - this left me with the question "How many people are in church today because of this?". Would the same people still be there if we kept the lights on during worship and did not put the words on the screen? Do these same people worship at home? In heaven, we will have colors unimaginable to us as humans; but, there is no darkness! There is no dimming of lights - it is worship in it's purest form! In heaven, our focus is JESUS and nothing else! I feel as if the media shows and modern attempts at church are a great idea because they have a cultural aspect that brings people in and keeps them coming back - I agree with whatever it takes to get the message to people - but for those who attend, keep JESUS your focus! Don't lose sight of why we are here and become distracted by the show. Keep things in perspective - appreciate that we have cool churches now - but don't forget the person we are worshiping. Guard your hearts and pray for a the Holy Spirit to lead you when being fed spiritually. Most importantly, stay in love.
I recently had a dream about one minister I had been praying about. I am not going to disclose who he is - but I will say that he ministers to a megachurch in the USA. Several things I have seen on his programs were questionable, or so I thought. My dream is as follows:
I was attending a conference or orientation session of some sort and being that I have such a heart for worship - I asked the hotel clerk (which was connected to the church) to please let me know when it was time for worship again. The lady came to get me and said "it's ok to come now - worship is begining in a few minutes". I went into this huge auditorium. The sanctuary did not look the same as it did on tv. It was a bit larger and the color scheme was a different, like a mustard-yellow color. The stage/platform was the same. Immediately I noticed that there was trash everywhere - it looked as if a stadium would after a football game. I found a seat in one of the movie-theatre style seating against a wall on an upper balcony. Worship started - the music was captivating and phenominal. All of a sudden, these roller derby chicks came into the isles and started skating all around the sanctuary. They were typical roller derby style chicks - pushing and shoving each other. They did not appear to be racing, but just skating around at a very aggressive speed. Then it dawned on me that they were participating in this worship while they were skating. Just at that time - one of the girls smacked into the wall beside me. She fell on her back but worship never stopped. It was a surreal experience to see this girl singing as she layed on the ground recovering from the fall. After worship, the pastor came on stage - he was preaching his very passion out. It was as if he was pleading with the crowd to get his message. He was so passionate and desparate for it to be grabbed. My attention turned from his anointed message to the congregation. No one was paying attention or watching. They were all captivated by the roller derby activities. My heart ached for the pastor trying to reach his congregation with the message from the Lord.
When I woke up - I asked God what the signifigance of the dream was - He told me that the pastor has a message that He gave to him but the church was too caught up in "the show" to hear the message. Many people were there but their motives were wrong. They wanted to see the lights and hear about the blessings but few if any were truley interested in the holiness that our Saviour is pleading with us for.
Many churches today have dimmed lights, light displays, and cool media shows to accompany our worship today. I personally prefer it that way and do not have a problem with it - however - this left me with the question "How many people are in church today because of this?". Would the same people still be there if we kept the lights on during worship and did not put the words on the screen? Do these same people worship at home? In heaven, we will have colors unimaginable to us as humans; but, there is no darkness! There is no dimming of lights - it is worship in it's purest form! In heaven, our focus is JESUS and nothing else! I feel as if the media shows and modern attempts at church are a great idea because they have a cultural aspect that brings people in and keeps them coming back - I agree with whatever it takes to get the message to people - but for those who attend, keep JESUS your focus! Don't lose sight of why we are here and become distracted by the show. Keep things in perspective - appreciate that we have cool churches now - but don't forget the person we are worshiping. Guard your hearts and pray for a the Holy Spirit to lead you when being fed spiritually. Most importantly, stay in love.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Sign Language
Have you ever learned something new, like a word or phrase, and its seems like you hear or see it EVERYWHERE after that??? That is one of the coolest things to me – it seems to be life’s way of reinforcing what you learned as a way to help you remember it. Also, if you took note enough to find out the definition of the word – it is at the forefront of your mind – so of course you are going to notice it when you hear or see it. Think about those Envision posters that were popular in the nineties (I wish I had a picture - I searched everywhere and can't find one). On surface, they appear to be just random patterns but within the pattern is an image that you was looking for!
We all have a void that we are trying to fill. Throughout our lives, we try to fill it with all kinds of things! We know we are missing something – there has to be more to life than just this! What we don’t realize is that subconsciously we are looking for God. On the other end, God is waiting on us to find Him! You ever had really exciting news to give someone and you want them to guess it? What do we do if they are not on the right track? We give them Hints right!!! God does this – he throws us hints and suggestions and feeds us from so many different angles to get messages through to us. I like to refer to this as sign language. It’s like God placing signs in front of me EVERYWHERE I go to try to get something through to me.
If a random thought to fast comes to your mind – you think about fasting often – Sunday morning service is on the topic of Fasting – your friend tells you a story about one time she fasted – you randomly see a pamphlet about fasting----- MORE THAN LIKELY, GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU TO GO ON A FAST! It amazes me that the more time I spend with God the more sensitive I am to notice the signs He is giving me. The beautiful thing is that several places in the Bible God has told us that he will reveal things to us! God longs to have an open line of communication with us through all kinds of channels (Pastors, friends, family, books, media, etc.). The important thing is to be able to distinguish through the various channels with a prayerful spirit of discernment. How do we know what is God and what is not? By spending time in His word and in prayer. Here are some scriptures about God wanting to let you know His plans…
· John 16:13 – The Spirit of Truth guides me into all truth, and He shows me things to come.
· 1 Cor 1:30 – Jesus has been made unto me wisdom, so I have God’s wisdom in all things.
· Prov 4:11 – The Father teaches me in the way of Wisdom, and leads me in right paths.
· Prov 3:6- In all my ways I acknowledge the Lord and His word, and He directs my paths.
· Ps 143:8- Thank You, Father, that You cause me to know the way wherein I should walk.
· Ps 16:11- The Lord shows me clearly the path of life.
· Ps 73:24- The Lord guides me with His counsel.
How do we do this? By following the holy Spirit – the bible explains this in great detail in John 14. In the amplified bible John 14:17 states that the Holy Spirit will constantly be with us. How wonderful is that to know that you have your own guidance counselor, tour guide, advisor, etc. right with you at all times!!! In conclusion, open yourself to the guidance of your heavenly Father – He cares about you! Do things prayerfully. Take note of the sign language God may be using in your life to get something through to you.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
My hideous tacky scarf!!!
Ok, I was at a local store in the area yesterday called MS. PRISS. It was such a cute store filled with a small selection of trendy clothes, jewelry, and accessories. A skirt hanging outside of the store initially caught my eye. It was white and lace. I thought it was so free and seemed to have a flow to it – so of course I could not resist stopping to try it on.
Well, unfortunately the white skirt did not look as fabulous as I had hoped; however, there was a black one that did look great. As I am thinking about how to piece this together in my head – my eye caught a bright glob of mess in the corner. This colorful array of fabric turned out to be a scarf! This was the missing piece to my outfit – black skirt (or blue jeans), white shirt, and this scarf!
The scarf itself is pretty hideous and tacky. It is known as a hobo scarf. It is a bunch of yarn or different colors and textures tied together. Honestly – it is awful. I’m not sure what it is – but there is something I love about that scarf. I am not sure if it is the facts that someone took their time to hand tie every knot, the soft feeling of the yarn, or the bright array of colors. As I bragged and showed my scarf off – I received two reactions from people: 1. OMG I LOVE IT or 2. OMG I HATE IT! Lol… people have mixed emotions about my newly found fabric cluster.
I started to realize that my love for this scarf have similar parallels to God’s love for us!
· I picked this scarf out of everything in this store – God picked me before the foundations of the world
· I hold this scarf precious – God holds me precious
· The world (some of the world) rejects my scarf – The world rejects people (some people)
Those are some examples. It doesn’t matter who loves or hates my scarf – I hold it precious to me and there is nothing you can say to change my mind. God feels the same way about you! Below are some scriptures that show how God loves us, stands by us, and picks us for Himself:
· Psalm 27:10 – Although my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child]
· Ephesians 1:4-5 – Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach before Him in love. (5)For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of his will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]
· Leviticus 26:11-12 – I will set My dwelling in and among you, and My soul shall not despise or reject or separate itself from you (12) And I will walk in and with and among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people
Isn’t God’s love toward us amazing! It is so unconditional! He does not love us for what we can do for Him or how we look, or how popular we are… That is why I have fallen in love with my scarf. Every time I see it I am reminded of God’s unconditional love for me – it is a great conversation piece and just possibly, I can teach someone else about the love of God as I wear my hideous tacky scarf! So when the world considers you to be hideous or tacky - just know that God sees you as precious! Be blessed!
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