Fully Surrendered

LORD,

I place before you just myself.

I seek to see you only.

Others around me are suffering.

Is there nothing I can do?

Daughter, there is.

Continue to stay in my Presence.

You may bring others to my throne.

Yet, don't hold tightly to things around

They are easily lost.

LORD,

I would ask for angelic help

Go fight the battle that is waging.

To protect those that are in harm's way

And stop the enemy's pillaging.

Daughter, you know I will do this.

Others only need to ask me.

To rise up and be my sons and daughters

With the authority, I have already given.

LORD,

I stand right now as your daughter.

My crown upon my head and scepter in hand.

To the raging wars I speak and declare: 

Remember who created you and for what purpose.

Peace Be Still!

"Daughter", said He and smiled,

You are my warrior child. 

It is time to rest.

Now, sit and feast, yes, before the enemy.

It makes him mad, but nothing he can do.

You are in my place, with me. 

Fully loved.

I AM

For some reason, this past year has been a struggle inside myself. Not sure exactly why, but old “stuff” began to surface and I had to deal with that “stuff”.  One of the great ways to deal with difficult things and even situations is to remember WHO has my future and hope.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you", declares the Lord and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."  Jeremiah 29:11-14

My Papa God knows me so well. He knew me before Time was created. My spirit has been with Him before my human mind even knew who He was. This makes me pause, because I feel wonderstruck. I just want to sit and be in His presence; this allows the struggles to melt away.

He knows the struggles that I have. He also knows what is best for me and allows me to make decisions for myself.  Yes, there are consequences for whatever decisions I make – good or bad. That is His gift to me and He will never take that away from me. I just need to learn from mistakes and march forward.

One morning while praying, I heard in my spirit the Lord say this to me:

I know the struggles you have.

I am your righteousness.
I am with you always.

I am your defender.

I am your provider.

I am your banner.

I am your song.

I Am.

I am the strength for your weakness.
I am the source for your needs.
I am the fire in your heart.

I am the word of Life.

I Am.

I am Alpha and Omega.

I am the Creator.

I am Father of All.

I am Love.

I Am.

I am your Peace and Shalom.

I am your Life and Light.

I am your revelation.

I am your guard.

I Am.

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I am the Resurrection and Life.

I am the Light of the world.
I am the Good Shepherd.
I am the Bread of Life.
I am the Gate.

I am the Vine.

I Am who I Am.

In Solitude I Seek Him

In Solitude

I seek the Father

Standing alone,

Yet not alone.

In Solitude

I seek refreshment

Standing still,

Yet moving.

In Solitude

I seek Creation,

To show me

A creative Father.

In Solitude

I seek revelation,

Scriptures enlightened

A Savior.

In Solitude

I find the Father

Standing with me,

Always with me.

In Solitude

I seek Him

I find Him

I know Him.

The Black Cloud

I am at a place once again, where I sense I need to go over a wall.  This wall is a bit higher than the last one.  I keep searching for stairs or steps or even a key to unlock a hidden door.

Papa God, are you leading me over the wall?  Are you holding out a “carrot” so to speak to entice me to follow you?  I know you are near, and yet I don’t sense your presence.  This unsettles me.

“I am hear, daughter.”

I feel lost Papa. I want more of YOU:  More of who you are, more of your presence, more of your glory, more, more, more!  I am yours.  All of who I am is yours.

I know there is electricity, frequency and light that is you. And yet, I have to ask, Who are you God? 

I seek you, but I’m afraid I am not getting anywhere. 

Who am I, Lord? 

I know, who I am, more today than I did yesterday.

I am more aware. Please heighten my spirit to be more sensitive to You and Your presence. I want your presence to permeate through me and around me so that others will become affected by your Spirit.  Let me leak your Holy Spirit.  I wish to change the atmosphere around me.  You know, bring Heaven to Earth.

Papa, I hear of this Black Cloud, which is You – the fiercest part of You. Is that true?

“Yes.”

May I approach it?

“Yes, yet one must be careful.”

Can I walk into that fierce Black cloud that is You?

“Are you ready to meet that part of Me?  Are you willing to die for me?”

Wait, “die for you”?   Physically die?  Die to myself, die?  What do you mean?

“Are you willing to give up all of  who you are?  Are you willing to surrender your whole being to Me?  Are you willing?”

I don’t know.  I want to say that I am.   Can I walk into it?  I’m not sure. Am I ready, Lord?

“I am here, daughter.  When you are ready to come, I am here.  Once you come, you will be changed. There is no going back.”

Bringing Heaven to Earth - some musings

Did you know that when we praise God and worship Him we are changing the spiritual atmosphere around us?

Did you know that when we speak out something, make a declaration we are changing the spiritual atmosphere around us?

Did you know that when we curse something, I’m not talking about “ culturally bad words”, but words that speak negative toward a person, a city or a government that we add to the enemy’s arsenal?

Did you know that when we speak or declare healing and hope towards a person, a city or a government we are changing that spiritual atmosphere?

Did you know that when we pray, we don’t have to “beg” God for anything?

Did you know that we, as the sons and daughters of God, may sit on our thrones in Heaven and declare the Father’s heart?

Did you know that as we sit in REST on our thrones in Heaven, we can make a difference here on earth?

What is bringing Heaven to Earth?

It is not trying to politically oust a political party because you don’t agree with it.

It is not just sitting around and talking and complaining that “things aren’t going

 well” or “why is this or that happening”; I am helpless; I don’t have a voice.

It is not listening to the fear mongers on the TV news and then feeling helpless.

It is not talking about “Oh woe is me!”

It is not just sitting in a pew every Sunday getting fat on words, with no practical

spiritual exercise.

It is:

Learning to Love as Jesus loved others in the world.  Not just people like myself.

Being aware of who is around you and needs a smile,some food, an encouraging word or a hug.

Being willing to listen to God and not just talk so you can’t listen to what He

has to say.

Being in prayer and listening to the Father's heart, then going and doing what God said.

Standing in who you are IN Christ.

Knowing your Identity and Destiny in Christ.

Working through Heaven’s Government, rather than man’s. (It's much more economical and practical.)

This is bringing Heaven to earth.

Our Spiritual Act of Worship

Let’s sit down and discuss “Worship in the Workplace” or our Spiritual Act of Worship. If you don’t work, that's alright. You don't have to "work" outside the home to give a spiritual act of worship.

What it is not:

-        Having worship music on all the time. (In some cases, maybe, but more than likely not.)

-        Setting aside time each day for prayer while you’re at work. (Could, but not really.)

-        Sharing your faith with everyone that comes through the door, co-workers, customers, or those   that call on the phone. (Um… no.)

The above are only a smidgen of examples of what worship in the workplace are not, at least not what the Bible talks about.

So, let us define WORSHIP as the dictionary defines it:

noun

1.

reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or toany object regarded as sacred.

2.

formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage:

They attended worship this morning.

3.

adoring reverence or regard:

excessive worship of business success.

4.

the object of adoring reverence or regard.

Now,let’s look at scripture, just a couple of passages:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.

Mark 12:29(b) -31

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12:1

I’m reading these and am struck by the fact that worshiping the Lord God doesn’t just take place on Sundays, but every day of the week, 24/7.  It also requires our WHOLE BEING.

In view of what God has done for us, we are to love Him with our whole being, all the time. He deserves this.  I am to give Him ALL of me. I am to give Him everything I have, everything I do, every person I meet. I give these back to God because I love Him.  It is a spiritual act of worship.

I will do my job (whatever that is) with Joy because He has placed me there. It is a divine appointment for someone to just be treated right, with love and care as Father would. I am to see customers, neighbors, bosses, bus drivers, coffee baristas, teachers, students whomever God deems to cross my path, to have Father’s perspective of them and loving them, because this is the Kingdom way.

Whether you are retired, a student, a stay-at-home parent or working in the workplace, God has called you to bring the Kingdom where ever you are 24/7. It’s not just for supported missionaries and paid church folk.  It is ALL of us. It is our finances, our families, our jobs and how we do those jobs. It is how we respond and react through our community with our neighbors. 

If you are at a job that you really don’t like, try and see how much you make a difference by changing your perspective.  Change the lens that you are looking through.  Spend time praying for your boss, co-workers, neighbors, family and businesses around you. Speak truth in love, rather than cursing. Declare the opposite of the bad. Speak life. Watch the change happen. Quit cursing and speaking the negative. If you see negative, then speak and declare the opposite. Quit giving the enemy fodder.  

God is a Jealous God.  He wants ALL of us every day of the week, 24/7.  Ask Holy Spirit to help you.  Ask the Father what’s on His heart for your workplace, and He will be delighted to tell you. You just need to follow through and act upon what He has told you. Listen to what Holy Spirit says.

Yes, I’m asking you to step out of yourself and give back to God ALL of yourself every day. Remember WHO is the one you worship. He lives in you, so remember to thank Him. Smile at folks. Ask Father what is on His heart for the people you meet and come into contact today and listen for His quiet answer, then go and obey. This will look different for each of us, but in essence it is the same: It is your spiritual act of worship.

This was taken on a Sunday morning during the normal worship service time. Our church went out into our community and cleaned the streets and some of the business properties of garbage and weeds and just blessed them.  Each business was contact a couple weeks earlier by our Lead Pastor and a couple of others to let them know what we'd like to do for them.  Some were wary because of the business they have, but because there was no judgment on our part, they mellowed.  It was pretty cool to see.  This is just a small example of what we can do as our spiritual act of worship.

A Picture of God's Care for us: Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is one of the best pictures for us in how God takes care of us.

I know this because I see it every day of my life. I went through a season where the Lord told me to understand Psalm 23 in a very intimate way.  So I did.  I memorized it. I looked at it daily.  It became an ingrained part of me.  This is what I learned.

God is my Father; my Papa, my Daddy.  That’s what “Abba” means.  It is a term of endearment.  This means I have a relationship with Him.  I have a very intimate relationship with my Father in Heaven.

He is my Shepherd. He takes great care in watching over me. He knows every detail of my life and wants to be a part of it.

He quite often tells me to “chill”; to take a rest and refresh myself.  I don’t always do that, thus I can get run down easily.  So, He calls me to come to Himself and get refreshed. Those are the times I go and sit on His lap. His arms are around me and then just fold around me.

During that time of refreshment, well, it can be a time of healing within myself.  That’s a wonderful thing!  My soul can so become burdened with all that goes on.  I love that time of refreshing from Papa.

His Holy Spirit is my Guide. He leads me every day.  Sometimes I don’t listen, but I am learning that when I am aware, Holy Spirit will lead and guide me into Truth and sometimes to those that are hurting.  He will never guide me into darkness, because He is Light.

I have a Purpose. I am here for His names sake.  He created me to be the person I am and will be. My whole identity is in Him.

There are times in my life, where I felt lost. Those were times of testing.  Papa was always right there, but seemed silent.  It was in those times that I needed to come into His presence.  Somehow, those times drew me closer to Him.

It was also in those times of trial and testing, that I sensed His Peace and felt no fear. His presence protected me.

Papa is always with me - always.  His faithfulness never ends.  Though I am not as faithful to Him as I would like to be, He is ever faith-full.

There are times, like any child, I need to be disciplined.  Papa’s discipline, however, is gentle. Though He can be pretty stern, the love He shows towards me comfort me and makes me want to do better the next time.

I can walk into a situation that can be pretty “electric” with not so good energy, and I am at peace within myself because I have nothing to fear. I have hope. He gives that hope of eternal awe and protection.  I don’t have to worry.  He will take care of what I cannot do.

He has set me apart as His child. He has given me an anointing to do and be who I am destined to be for Him.  I don’t have to be anyone else, but myself.

I am so FULL!  Papa keeps giving and giving and giving, I cannot, at times, take it all in.  His love washes over me in abundance.  He provides for me with more than I can ever repay Him.

My heart knows of His mercy and goodness.  These blessings are with me all the time.

I know where I am.  I know where I go.  I know whose I am.  I know my Identity is in God forever.

Prayer – Do we actually follow through?

Let me ask you this question:

When someone asks for prayer, do you really take the time and energy to go to the Throne of Heaven and pray on their behalf?  

This is probably the biggest pet peeve I have within the Christian community at large:  They don’t follow through when they say "I'll pray for you". (I'm speaking to myself as well.)

Christians are supposed to be known for their prayers.  We ask for prayer in our small groups, in Sunday School, in the worship service, with our close friends and even on social media.  Did you know that perhaps only 1 in 20 people who say they will pray for you, actually do just that- pray.  I don’t mean the prayer of: “Oh Lord, please bless – so and so – as they are in need.”  Or “Lord, we don’t know how to pray, so just bless – so and so”.

I know that we have learned some bad habits over the years, even decades with regards to prayer.We tend to take prayer for granted. I’d like for us to get rid of those bad habits and be able to truly come before the Lord of Hosts as one of His children - setting aside time just to pray for that person(s) that asked and go before the Throne of Grace on their behalf. You know, Just Do It!

Think about it, in our family, we ask each other for things. We tend to watch out for each other. We care deeply (usually) for each other, so that when something is awry we can help out in some way. We praise each other. We thank each other.  It should be the same in the “Family of God”, and even more because we have that Power of prayer as an access point to the Father.

James 5:16 NIV

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

1 Peter 3:12 NIV

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Let me just encourage you to follow through on what you say you will do.  If a person is requesting you join with them and pray for “whatever”, and you say you will pray for them, then - PRAY for them.

Take the time and energy to go before the God of Heaven, who gave us breath and life, to pray for that brother or sister in Christ.  You know what will happen?  Not only does the person who asked for the prayer get blessed, but your relationship with the Father grows deeper and more intimate. That is just an added bonus!

You don’t have to be a “Super Pray-er/ Intercessor” to pray for someone.  Just take the time to sit before the Father. Talk with Him as you would a friend or your earthly parents. It’s a conversation – and a two way one at that! He doesn’t need to hear all the mumbo-jumbo of religious talk.  He wants to hear your heart. If you pray for someone, it should come from your heart. Then, quietly listen for His answer. He will answer, if we allow Him to. 

It just takes a little follow through.