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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 6/18/2009 12:25:55 PM
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selahgirl
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From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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what R U wrestling with... what R U considering that will inevitably hurt and wrong someone else?... don't do it... ur better than that... (twitter.com/selahgirlAmanda)
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 6/23/2009 10:34:19 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
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I just realized that I picked this thread back up at the 50th post, and it made me think of the year of Jubilee, having territory returned to you. So much has happened since the first of the year that I cannot talk about, but I feel that I have died in so many painful ways. All hope and joy were gone, and death seemed very appealing. But God remains with me and my strength is returning... I live because of Him. Each step, each breath, is by his grace and his mercy... there are ppl that I live for... but there is nothing in this life that I want.
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
What are you walking thru today? Are you also in that place of overwhelming torment, where the pain seems unbearable and you find yourself asking God about the promises he made? Do you see the sins of those around you and the sins of your own heart, and has it made you lose all hope in anything or anyone good? I know words are small and meaningless in that place... I know that you can feel nothing beyond the pain that rips constantly thru your chest and your gut with no relief. I know that no one truly understands the depth and intensity of it all...
You feel dead, life is unappealing any more...
Hold on, wander thru each day a little longer. Give it more time, and wait on God. Some day soon you will see him so unexpectedly, in the smallest way, in the smallest voice you will hear him. And it will overwhelm you that something so gentle and loving could penetrate the thick stone wall of blackness that seems to surround you in this moment. But it will. He never left you. He stood beside you, fighting for you in the darkness when you couldn't see anything but evil. He whispered to you and spoke to you and guided you without you even knowing it, you just couldn't hear it because the pain was screaming so intensely.
But he never gave up, and he never left you.
He waits for you. He continues to fight for you. He continues to speak to you, to give you direction. Yes the pain is real. Yes the darkness is black, and yes the evil is smothering. But God is truly greater. Just breathe, he will provide each breath. Life and Hope will return to you, even tho the pain ripping thru your chest remains. Wait on him... give it time for Him to do his work... for your spirit and soul and body to gain a little more strength and health each day. I know it's hard, but don't give up. God is real and he loves you more today than ever. This world is not home yet, it's a war zone. It's not a time to be comfortable, it's a time to stay focused when everything around you is blowing up and crumbling and dying. Sometimes we take an unbearable hit, but Jesus makes it bearable, miraculously, beyond our understanding or explanation. If we will only trust and wait and watch.
God is with you, and nothing can snatch you out of his hand.
(((hugs)))
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 6/24/2009 11:36:02 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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God Still Speaks Today
Ppl have different views on how and if God speaks to ppl today. Personally, I feel that he is always talking to us in so many different ways, thru any venue that we will give attention to, whether in church or outside of it. His Spirit continually draws us and guides us in the big and the small. When I read thru Scripture in the OT and NT, God speaks thru tons of things and uses lots of symbolism from real life. Sometimes it's in a dream, or a word of knowledge, or a word of wisdom, or just a knowing like a prophecy.
I know it's kinda complicated, because the enemy wants to drown out His voice. And being the imperfect beings that we are... we make a mess of things when the power of God starts moving thru us. We tend to think it's us more than Him, and we step off into arrogance thinking we are equal to Him rather than just a conduit or a chunk of dirt that he has showered favor on. I have seen gross abuse of spiritual gifts and I have seen God move in powerful ways. I don't know why he chooses to let us be a part of all the miraculous things he does, but for some reason he likes having his kids in the mix of all he's doing, all the time, playing on his team. He just keeps passing us the ball and believing every time that we're gonna hit the goal. He coaches us and shows us how it's done and puts ppl in our lives to be examples...
He speaks to us and thru us, but we gotta never forget that His Will is the center, not ours.
And when we stray from that center in any measure or matter... things are gonna get complicated and cloudy and ppl are gonna get hurt. He'll tell us when we've drifted, and we need to be passionate about hitting the carpet with our face or correcting any wrong we have committed... whatever it takes to get back to center... to His perfect will. He will tell us how, if we will choose to be courageous enough to trust Him and obey.
God speaks today.
I'm gonna blog about some of the stuff I feel he is saying, but be careful to not swallow anything hook line and sinker. Measure everything anyone ever says to you in life with the WORD (TRUTH) OF GOD. Talk to Him about it in prayer, and seek out wise counselors... not just one but a couple from opposite sides of the spectrum. If you keep all things in balance with his will and place nothing above him.... he will lead you in they way you should go... in all things. When you step off the path, he will tap you with his shepherd's hook.. but it's up to you to get back in step. He will always make a way.
It's not about blind faith... it's about Faith in Christ.
To have faith in Him you gotta know what he did and said and is saying, and you can't know that if your not reading your Bible on a regular basis and spending time in prayer and fellowship with his family. If you wanna hear him speak, you gotta get to know him, maintain a relationship, and be able to recognize his voice <3
< Message edited by selahgirl -- 6/24/2009 12:51:35 PM >
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 6/24/2009 12:51:14 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
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What is God wanting to do in this moment in the lives of ppl?
I just don't know what to tell you, but I believe that God speaks thru dreams. As far back as I can remember as a little girl, I had dreams that would come true. Sometimes the next day, sometimes six months later. I would dream of ppl before I had met them and later know their face and their name as the dream played out in real life. I would dream of rooms and places before they were built and months later be reminded of the dream as something in the room brought it back to my mind. Very detailed dreams. I came from a very broken home and was a very lonely child, but was raised Catholic and talked to God about everything devoutly. Always with my eyes to the ground, always with a reverent fear of an all-powerful God, but always knowing that he heard me and answered every prayer with perfect wisdom, for the good of all ppl involved.
I heard the plan of salvation for the first time when I was 19 and began learning who exactly Christ is and what he did. I was absolutely undone by his love for me, by the concept that I could approach God, that he wanted me to draw near to him as a loving Father and Friend. I invited him to be my Lord and Savior when I was 21 years old, and suddenly the dreams changed drastically... immediately. I started having very symbolic and elaborate dreams involving tons of symbols and prophecies from Scripture that I wasn't even familiar with until after having the dream. Then I would go look them up or ask my pastor where to find them in the Bible. I continued having dreams that would come true... and I spent alot of years trying to understand what God wanted me to do with all of this. I finally came to a place of understanding, though I still have so much to learn about it all. God gives us spiritual gifts and he speaks to us for one main reason...
God wants us to know what to pray for ourselves and for other ppl, what to invite him to come and do.
Glimpses into spiritual things, gifts from God to discern situations, are not to impress or to entertain or to wow... they are like a map of the battle ground, so you can know what area to attack with prayer. Most times, you're not even supposed to tell anyone what you've seen. You're just supposed to pray and wait to see what God does. He will tell you what to pray/do next in each situation and often times you will not understand it (though sometimes you will).
Other times, God will speak something and tell you to go to someone, often a leader, and tell them what God has put in your heart concerning the matter. And then you leave it alone and let leadership go with it as God leads them... always praying , about all things and all ppl involved. I often describe it like being a mailman. God hands you a letter or message, you pass it along to the addressee, and then you go on to the next thing He leads you to. If the letter was a million dollars or if it's a bill for a billion... that's not for you to take credit for or blame for... you just deliver the mail with all humility and love, with absolute fear and trembling -- knowing that God will hold you accountable for your motives/obedience as you serve him and his ppl.
If someone came to me and asked to know some mumbo jumbo future event or thing... I most likely would have no idea. I never know what God will give insight to. He only speaks what is necessary to teach or to guide or to encourage... me in my personal walk or my church or the church as a whole. God doesn't talk in such ways because it seems cool or gives us goose bumps... He speaks with purpose and he expects us to react in some manner thru prayer or service or whatever he directs. Every time ppl become addicted to the high of spiritual things... they are gonna end up hurting themselves and other ppl. When we lose perspective that spiritual things are merely another tool in the box for serving God and ppl... we've elevated that tool to the place of an idol in our hearts (often without even realizing it).
Some ppl dream more than others, some ppl pray more than others, some ppl repair homes for ppl more than others, some travel to preach in other nations more than others... you get the idea... but all of us can be called by God and used to perform any service at any moment... and God will equip us in that moment whether we need construction supplies, or understanding of symbols in a dream to gain direction in what to pray, or a plane ticket to Honduras. We've got to stop idolizing the method and the tools and bring things back to center...
What is God wanting to do in this moment to bring ppl into closer relationship with him?
That's it... that's the heartbeat of the true church... not the rusty, dirty, grimy well-worn tools in the box. We need to stop admiring the shiny silver metal and the cool leather handles and how good it feels in our hands as we drive a nail home... We need to focus on the ppl that are gonna live in that house, protected from the storms that are gonna come against them in life, knowing peace and love with the God that watches over their home and their family and their soul.
God is with us.
Ppl need to know that.
God has equipped us to tell them.
We need to get back to center.
You, me, the Church.
He's coming soon.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 6/25/2009 12:49:25 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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It's like the ripping of a leech... (Matt 5:8)
Now that I've freaked everyone out by talking about spiritual things and dreams and stuff... here's why I posted all of that yesterday. God has been speaking from several different directions about NEW BEGINNINGS. I woke the other day and blogged and realized all that about 50 and the symbolism of the year of Jubilee, returning territory to it's rightful owner. Kind of like a time of setting things right and fresh and new again. Several things happened the night before I posted those blogs.
I was awakened in the night three times, by three different crickets crawling on my face/ head. Never had such a thing happen, haven't seen another cricket in my room since the other night. It was very odd, so while I was praying about things the next morning, it was on my mind what in the world was going on and what crickets might symbolize. It was just so weird, and those are often times that God is trying to bring something to my attention.
Remember that the symbolism is never set in stone for something. There is a standard, but it can change if God is wanting to personalize it by speaking to a person's unique personality. For instance, some ppl love dogs, so a symbol/dream about a dog might be a positive message. Others are very afraid of dogs or find them annoying, so they might be used to speak something negative. I know all this symbolism/dream stuff sounds hoakey... but God often speaks in such ways in Scripture and in Testimonies from ppl who have encountered him in miraculous ways.
Three often symbolizes the complete presence and will of God.
Crickets often symbolize courage, prosperity, fertility, new beginnings.
As I was studying about the meaning of it all, my son walked into the room to tell me that he was stung by a wasp in the night. As I was looking up the symbols for the cricket, I looked up the symbols for wasp and found something interesting.
Wasps (Hornets) are also symbols of fertility and new beginnings, kinda ironic.
I really feel that God is about to birth something in the church in Clarksville and in the church as a whole. I have always heard to pay attention to the things God is speaking and teaching in my own life... because you will often see the same lessons being learned in the Church soon after. I know there is alot to discuss about such things, but over many years, I have often seen it happen and believe that it is true.
I looked up passages about the cricket and the hornet and learned that the cricket is considered clean food, while the wasp is considered unclean. I feel like whatever change, new beginning, God is about to bring about is going to involve him using things that are Christian and things that are not, the saved and the unsaved. I also read several passages about how the Lord send the wasp to drive the ungodly out of the land that he had reserved for his ppl. That says so much. Whatever territory God is about to return to his ppl, I believe he is going to drive out the ungodly one way or another.
All of that was that same morning... I just felt strongly the more I prayed about it that God was speaking something. Not everything has some kind of spiritual significance, but this has that familiar feeling I can't describe of those moments when God is speaking something to me and wanting me to hear and trust and believe. Only time will confirm it or disprove it, but I really believe God is about to birth something huge in our personal lives, in our city, in our church, and in the Church as a whole.
I read a post by Robin Ward this morning that just seemed to speak of the same newness...
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ~Isaiah 43:18-19
And that goes along with a caution that I feel like I am hearing at the same time. Christians and the Church are about to have their heart broken.
God has sent warning and teaching and wooing to cause us to turn from the things we have allowed to become idols in our hearts. I feel like whatever it is that we are holding up as an idol, whether equal or above our commitment/love of Christ, is about to break our heart in ways we have never known. We have allowed the draw and appeal of it to gain a stronghold in our affections, but God is about to allow us to see the imperfections/evil that are also attached to it. Our love for the things we hold as idols in our hearts is about to sour.
But that breaking is actually the mercy of God. From the breaking of our hearts, strongholds will be broken, chains will be broken, freedom will come as our affections return completely to Christ. It is going to be painful, the worst torment you may ever know on this earth, it's like the ripping of a leach from the sensitive flesh of your heart. But as soon as it's done, healing will begin and strength will return and you will see Christ as your heart and your affections become pure.
"Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God." (Matt 5:8)
Pain, birth pain, cleansing, pure, newness, new beginnings, NEW LIFE.
I believe that it's coming to each of us in distinct and personal ways, and to the Church as a whole. There is more to all of this that I may or may not post at a later time. It involves the proclamation... "the power of the ppl, the ruler of the ppl, or the power of the tribe." I believe that so much corruption has entered into the methods of leadership of the modern day church that God is going to move the anointing to key ppl and segments within the congregations. Not all leaderships are corrupt, but I'd go so far as to say at least half are. I don't think God will tolerate rebellion, but just like David and Saul, the move of God will go forth from ppl of humility and a zealous love of Christ.
Something is coming... the Church is being called to make herself ready. The rapture and the anti-christ spirit that escalates in these last days have been labeled as fanatical folklore... but I believe the Scriptures are true. And I believe that Christ is coming to this generation as never before in more ways than one. Everything is changing. Everything must change to bring the Church back to center, to bring our hearts back to center. Jesus is the center. He will discipline us to get our eyes off of our idols (even things we don't realize that we have made into idols)... He disciplines us because he loves us.
I John 2
Do Not Love the World
15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Warning Against Antichrists
18Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.[d] 21I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
Children of God
28And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
2 Thessalonians 2
The Great Apostasy
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Stand Fast
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 7/6/2009 12:13:25 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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It is enough...
Deuteronomy 4
1 Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.
3 You saw with your own eyes what the LORD did at Baal Peor. The LORD your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the LORD your God are still alive today.
5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the LORD directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
15 You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, 16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, 18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. 20 But as for you, the LORD took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are.
We, the church, individuals calling themselves Christian, followers of Christ, have missed it...
We have strayed from center and made images for ourselves... not golden calves per se, but pastors and mentors and leaders and govts and groups and small groups and husbands and wives and careers and reputations and blah blah blah. We say that we serve God and the word Christian remains on our lips every other word, but what is truly written on our heart and in our thoughts and among our actions???
It's all become a form... not just in one or two corrupt churches, but as the norm. If you can find one or two authentic churches in your life, you have done well. They exist, but are not easily visible among the high weeds that have grown up in the church world today. I am sickened and damaged and heart-broken and desperate because of the state of the church in America. You walk in the doors and everyone is smiling and saying hello, but the warmth is gone. The warmth is gone because there is so much sin among us that ppl don't trust one another any more, they sit in pews with their guard up and their fists raised ready to fight off anything that threatens what they hold dear... They have felt the sting of adultery by a spouse, they have cried over a drug-addicted child, they have licked the wounds of abuse by authorities set in their life. Not from the world but from their family... other Christians made the pass at their spouse, sold the drugs to their children, used them and abused them to make a name for themselves. Everyone is hurting, everyone is betrayed, so everyone sits crippled and guarding what little they have left from the ppl that are supposed to be fighting for them. They stand head to head in their hearts rather than side by side, and they mask it all with smiles and a form of Godliness that is a lie. Deception, Denial, and Death.
Make no idol of man or beast, breathing or not breathing, Christian or not Christian.
21 The LORD was angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance. 22 I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land. 23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and provoking him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 27 The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. 29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God [a] speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.
39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
41 Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, 42 to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if he had unintentionally killed his neighbor without malice aforethought. He could flee into one of these cities and save his life. 43 The cities were these: Bezer in the desert plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.
The statement Moses made that the Lord was angry with him and would not let him enter the promised land is heart breaking. But God's discipline is sure, He extends mercy in it's purest and most perfect form... but there are consequences that remain. Moses struck the rock in the desert that was representing Christ and God was angered because he was told to speak to it not strike it. It makes me wonder about the symbolism of that Scripture... because such things always run so much deeper than we can possibly understand.
Perhaps the setting up of these cities of refuge are a glimpse of the consequence of Moses murder of the Egyptian. Perhaps David wasn't allowed to build the temple because of the murder of Bethsheba's husband. Perhaps the forgiveness of God is complete and sure, but the consequence of sin is something that is more lasting than we realize. The taking of a life. The murder that Gossip ensures. The abuse of our freedoms and authorities as teachers and mentors that contributes to others falling away and choosing Death.
Sounds harsh, but think about it. You know ppl that have sinned greatly against someone innocent, who have been allowed to walk away with no repercussions. They become restless and agonized and tormented, feeling as though they need to repay something, but are not allowed to. Sometimes serving a sentence, paying a due, suffering some consequence for our sin, allows us to truly become free of the guilt associated with it... in our hearts and our minds. I know that sounds bizarre and I'm just thinking out loud as I am writing this.
But it goes along with a passage that opened up to me yesterday, from Colossians 1, the entire chapter is incredible, but this is the pertinent part of what came to mind...
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
We are all going to die with sin in our lives... but Christ is going to present us as though we are holy and without sin. One thing makes that possible, his taking the sentence of Death for our sins upon himself. He died tho he was innocent, so that we could live even tho we were guilty. He erases our file and removes our guilt. We get to live.
But not without a change. Not without choosing to give him reign and rule over our lives and who we are, the imperfect, messed-up, ignorant, selfish creatures that we are at heart. We have to make up our mind to commit to his Lordship over us, to obey his will and not our own, to suffer correction when we miss the mark and to turn from that sin back in line with his guiding voice. Mercy. Forgiveness. It is ours, but it remains a messy walk during our remaining days on this earth.
To live is Christ. To die is gain. It just can't be said enough.
Christ's sufferings are what make it possible to present us as tho we are holy and worthy. Eternity will be so different from this world. It is a different time and place and existence. We will finally be free of this weak flesh and the evil that so easily entices us. We will know who our redeemer is and it will be a privilege to be like him, to be given that second chance at life, that Second Life.
In the next verses we see how Paul follows Christ's example and why.
24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
That's the example, the goal, the key. Paul suffers in sharing the Gospel, in serving those who don't really deserve his extreme service and sacrifice... so that he may "present everyone perfect in Christ." Taking on the weight, the burdens, the labor, the struggle...
"Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions..." Can we say that as the Church. We, who are his body, representing him in the flesh on this earth, can we say that our heart is to present others holy and blameless thru our sacrifice and suffering on this earth?
To die is gain...
To end this life. To be free of the pain and the torment, deserved and undeserved, from those we love and those that hate us, from outside the church and from within it... It hurts too much, it feels unbearable at times... our guts are ripped open and we find ourselves crawling on the ground disoriented and bleeding with no hand offering to help us... death would be a great gain.
But there is something before that, something greater, something that abounds so much more than sin... TO LIVE IS CHRIST (Phil 1:21).
The battle is heated in these last days. Bodies litter the ground, blood and stench and disease fill the trenches, arsenals are dwindling and utter exhaustion has set in... it seems impossible to live like this. Nothing around us looks like Christ, where is the peace, where is the refreshing, where is the angel band and the syrupy goodness???
It's there. I know what you're thinking, but it's there. Seeing is believing... you're right. But not seeing, is Faith. And that's what we are asked to live by. That's what it means... TO LIVE IS CHRIST.
suffering, injustice, hoping for things not seen, trusting in a Father that loves you and has made some pretty incredible promises to you... that he will without doubt keep. All the while, continuing to love, continuing to hurt, continuing to die each day in the trenches. Trusting, believing, rejoicing, passionate about following Christ across this battlefield, about following his example, about helping the ppl around you make it thru... and make it thru abundantly. Presenting them holy and without blemish thru your sufferings, tho as Paul said it "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions..."
Christ's sufferings are the sufferings that bring salvation. But we are called to such sufferings for a time, while on this earth, in this world. He blazed the trail and told us to walk in it. I don't understand it all, but I know what he said to do for now. He said there is more he has to tell us, but this is not the time. I look forward to that day, but today's trouble is sufficient for me. And knowing that it is his Grace that abounds in the midst of it all, that it is his Grace that is sufficient to ensure victory in the end, that he has promised to remain with me thru it all, and that he is not a man that he would lie...
it is enough.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 7/14/2009 5:37:05 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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When you think about it.... fear of failure is one of the many symptoms of pride. I think it's interesting that so many men struggle with fear of failure, especially in their teens and then again in their 40s. It's like those are vulnerable times in their life and identity and the enemy takes advantage of that. Pouring a greater measure of fear on them at those times.
Perhaps moms and wives would do well to pray with more fervor during those seasons of conflict and personality glitches, realizing that they need a greater hedge about them protecting them from fear and insecurities and arrogance. Perhaps when ppl attack us the most, it is a sign that they are actually the ones under a greater attack... spiritually.
Perhaps that's why Satan fights Mankind so fiercely over souls even though he knows he loses in the end. Perhaps, every time we share Christ with someone and they LIVE, Satan is angry because his goal was DEATH for them. His greatest sin is pride, fear of failure, and when he fails in such matters it only fuels his hatred for you and me.
Perhaps, that is the beauty of it all. Christ makes the way to salvation possible. It doesn't rest upon us. We get to share in the beauty of giving LIFE to others without the risk of failure. It's a matter between Christ and each and every soul. We just get to play, to use our skill, to help, already knowing that we are on the winning team.
It's not Christ against Satan. Christ is God, Satan is a fallen creation. The battle is between Satan and Mankind. But Christ has granted us the victory already the instant we choose to accept his invitation and play on his team. We win. There is no fear or futility. Jesus asked the question so very many times....
"Why are you afraid?"
^_^
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 7/21/2009 3:04:03 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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Judgment comes TO US ALL
Colossians 2
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such people also go into great detail about what they have seen, and their unspiritual minds puff them up with idle notions. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
We were reading thru this portion of Scripture in Sunday School, and a teaching occurred to me that I had heard years ago as a young believer. It was said that the word "angel" often refers simply to messenger or pastor. There has been so much abuse in the church lately, often rooted in what I've come to call "pastor worship." It becomes interesting when you replace the word angel in the passage above with leader/pastor... kinda pulls the entire passage into today.
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of leaders/pastors disqualify you. Such people also go into great detail about what they have seen, and their unspiritual minds puff them up with idle notions. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
wow, so blindly following leadership isn't such a new thing afterall.... maybe Jesus referring to the blind following the blind wasn't just for Bible days. Maybe it was actually for us, about the modern day church, about an enemy that we have encountered thru the centuries who uses the same devices on us all. Perhaps that is why Scripture tells us that we are not ignorant to his devices... we've seen him use the same ones to steal and to kill and to destroy among the many generations of the church.
All this ritual, all these holier-than-thou attitudes... arrogance, pride... where is the love in any of that. Love is not rude, it does not insist upon it's own way. God is gentle in leading every soul to encounter relationship with him. He only rebukes when someone lies about him or misrepresents him while they are claiming to be speaking for Him. The days we choose to worship, the things we eat and drink... they are not to be put into boxes. They are to be obeyed as each of us works out our own salvation. The key is that we are participating in some measure of it in order to honor God and in remembrance of all that Christ did and said. Rituals are merely that... things to remind us of the Truth and what we are supposed to be doing. If such rituals are not keeping Christ ever before us in all that we do... then they have become empty and have nothing to do with God or his ppl.
Tying the string around your finger is the ritual, it doesn't matter which hand or which finger. What matters is remembering to send your wife some flowers for your anniversary. It's not the ritual that shines... it's the thing it serves to make you remember to do or not do.
But in the church today, Scripture and the Spirit of God are not the guiding factor to work out your salvation... it has become a matter of obeying leadership more so than obeying God. Leaders who often discount Scripture as containing a measure of error, who use ancient myths to reason Truth away. Often such leaders present themselves as gentle and kind and soft-spoken... humble servant leaders... and yet they reek of false humility and slam ppl under the table all the while never letting their mask slip in the slightest. Churches are run like businesses, the profit margin of popularity and presteige are the determining factor of every order of business. Ppl are slammed under the guise of keeping them humble, strict rules and guidelines and chains-of-command are pressed upon them like shackles and weights of righteousness. Obeying the unscriptural whims your pastor/leader has become a form of enslavement, rather than a matter of respecting/following their Christ-like character and the leading of the Spirit of God.
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels (pastors, leaders) disqualify you. Such people also go into great detail about what they have seen, and their unspiritual minds puff them up with idle notions.
Pastors/leaders are just as accountable to God and the church body as you and me. They are not above the lowly church class. If thy violate Scripture or teach anything contrary to Scripture or impose their own laws/ritual as though it is mandated by God and therefore a sin to disobey... you should be wary. PRAY, seek God to keep a right spirit in you, do nothing with selfish ambition or to harm with wrong motive... but don't swallow everything someone says just because they wear a title or hold a position or have the power to blackball you and boot you out of their church. They may have a posse backing them up and slinging the mud so they don't have to get their hands dirty... you may have to go it alone... BUT GOD will bring it to light and reveal the Truth in His timing.
God is cleaning house in the church. And we need to be asking him to clean and to prune our hearts so that we will be found healthy and strong and fruitful. Otherwise, we will grow more and more dry and unproductive, good for nothing except to be torn up and tossed in the fire. We choose our own fate/health/life, Christ died to give us that freedom to choose for ourselves... but make no mistake, good or bad, reward or rebuke, judgment comes TO US ALL.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 7/22/2009 9:03:38 PM
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IwillseekHim
Posts: 3536
Joined: 5/17/2009
Status: online
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Selahgirl, your writing is full of wisdom and insight. I am with you in agreement. May God bless you.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 7/23/2009 11:33:08 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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Thanks IWILLSEEKHIM <3
Today, I was thinking...
Lately I FEEL LIKE A GIRAFFE, haha
"Giraffes land on their heads when they're born.
Giraffes can run up to 32 miles per hour, but they get tired fast.
Giraffes favorite food is a thorny plant, but the thorns don't hurt them
Giraffes are peaceful and run instead of fight, but they can kick off a lion's head.
Giraffes can grunt, snort, growl, sneeze, snore, moo, bleet, and cough, but they like to stay quiet
Giraffes fall six feet to the ground when they're born
When a giraffe sleeps, it lies down for 2 to 10 minutes, but will only sleep for up to 3 minutes per day.
If a giraffe falls over flat then it can't get up and it dies."
I feel like my entrance into this life lacked grace and a solid landing... but God ordained that is was to occur in such a manner. He had plans from the beginning when he fashioned me and dropped me into this world.
I have always been one that is ready to run ahead with whatever needs to be done, but I often need to stop and catch my breath and get my bearings, to think things through, to reexamine the next portion of the path ahead... selah.
I seem to be destined to eat thorns, but for some reason God has wired me to not be harmed. There is much I don't understand about that, and I know that I am not alone in such a diet, there are other giraffes. haha. But one day, God will explain all.
I am not one to look for a fight. I would much rather walk away than add more turmoil to my life. But if I see someone abused or treated unjustly, I cannot sit by and do nothing or ignore it. I would choose peaceful means to resolve a conflict, but when I must fight, I'm good at it.
"grunt, snort, growl, sneeze, snore, moo, bleet, and cough" I just liked that image of so much freedom of expression... and yet the self control that accompanies it. haha.
Such an image of falling six feet at your birth... wow, life and death, out of the womb and yet six feet under... born with a sin nature... and yet born with the freedom to choose Life, a gift from God, a second chance despite the many flaws and failures that are me.
I don't sleep much... actually, I do... I just sleep in very short bursts spread out thru the day and night. Largely due to the Hep C I contracted from a blood transfusion as a kid, but also from the many stresses of life over the past 44 years.
And finally this last one is what made me write this entry today...
I feel that I have fallen flat for whatever reason or reasons and I'm dying. But I just have this picture of these incredible women at First Church, and an amazing pastor, and so many other friends online who have surrounded me with so much love, working together with ropes of encouragement and every resource of prayer to hoist me back up on my feet... as difficult of a task as that is... they refuse to give up on me or to look the other way or to ignore my pain... because they were once a giraffe, lying flat on the ground, needing a friend and a family... and they have not forgotten what that was like.
I see Christ in that, and am undone by such an authentic demonstration of His Love <3
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 7/29/2009 12:38:06 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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I challenge you to find some time today or this week either alone or with others who will agree and pray and believe with you... read the passage below out loud as a prayer to our God. It is not a short one, but oh my... it is one full of power and comfort and assurance and praise. God's holiness and mercy, once written on stone but now on our hearts... unchanged, the same yesterday, today and forever <3
If Your Law Had Not Been My Delight
Psalm 119...
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.
94 Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.
96 To all perfection I see a limit;
but your commands are boundless.
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.
113 I hate double-minded men,
but I love your law.
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
115 Away from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commands of my God!
116 Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live;
do not let my hopes be dashed.
117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered;
I will always have regard for your decrees.
118 You reject all who stray from your decrees,
for their deceitfulness is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
therefore I love your statutes.
120 My flesh trembles in fear of you;
I stand in awe of your laws.
121 I have done what is righteous and just;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Ensure your servant's well-being;
let not the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,
looking for your righteous promise.
124 Deal with your servant according to your love
and teach me your decrees.
125 I am your servant; give me discernment
that I may understand your statutes.
126 It is time for you to act, O LORD;
your law is being broken.
127 Because I love your commands
more than gold, more than pure gold,
128 and because I consider all your precepts right,
I hate every wrong path.
129 Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
longing for your commands.
132 Turn to me and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
134 Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may obey your precepts.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant
and teach me your decrees.
136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.
137 Righteous are you, O LORD,
and your laws are right.
138 The statutes you have laid down are righteous;
they are fully trustworthy.
139 My zeal wears me out,
for my enemies ignore your words.
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
and your servant loves them.
141 Though I am lowly and despised,
I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is everlasting
and your law is true.
143 Trouble and distress have come upon me,
but your commands are my delight.
144 Your statutes are forever right;
give me understanding that I may live.
145 I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD,
and I will obey your decrees.
146 I call out to you; save me
and I will keep your statutes.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.
148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises.
149 Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
preserve my life, O LORD, according to your laws.
150 Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
but they are far from your law.
151 Yet you are near, O LORD,
and all your commands are true.
152 Long ago I learned from your statutes
that you established them to last forever.
153 Look upon my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Defend my cause and redeem me;
preserve my life according to your promise.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek out your decrees.
156 Your compassion is great, O LORD;
preserve my life according to your laws.
157 Many are the foes who persecute me,
but I have not turned from your statutes.
158 I look on the faithless with loathing,
for they do not obey your word.
159 See how I love your precepts;
preserve my life, O LORD, according to your love.
160 All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.
161 Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.
162 I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood
but I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.
165 Great peace have they who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.
166 I wait for your salvation, O LORD,
and I follow your commands.
167 I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.
168 I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.
169 May my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word.
170 May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.
171 May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.
172 May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.
173 May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
175 Let me live that I may praise you,
and may your laws sustain me.
176 I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 8/4/2009 1:52:14 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
Status: offline
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Something I said on my FB update...
"I will not hesitate to fight for Life... But if something is dead, I will leave the dead to bury it."
This came to mind from a passage in Matthew 8, "21Another of the disciples said to Him, Lord, let me first go and bury [care for till death] my father. 22But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and leave the dead [in sin] to bury their own dead."
Seems like kind of a cold thing to say... but I don't think it is a blanket statement. I think this guy was heavily influenced by his unsaved family, and Christ knew his salvation was at risk in the matter. There are times when it is the right thing in Scripture to make sure we care for and honor family in sickness and death. It's a matter of putting our relationship with Christ before any other.
Another passage comes to mind from Matthew, in chapter 10...
17"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Local councils.... in the church and outside the church... in the synagogue and outside of it... among the church leadership and among the congregation... not all who wear a title are walking in the perfect will of God... not all who are put upon a pedistal are as perfect as their followers insist...
Read the word of God, talk to Jesus in prayer, focus on relationship with him daily and not the ritual of prayer and Bible reading. His book is a letter to you of important things he wants you to remember and stress... but his spirit is with you as well.. not just with you but in you according to Acts. You must be able to tell who is speaking in your head... is it you, is it the enemy screaming stuff from outside of you, or is it the one true God expounding on his letter to fine-tune your life. His Truth is solid and never changes, but how each of us must walk out each specific situation as we feed upon that Truth does not always look the same. His word is Truth, His Spirit is Truth, and He couples the two to equip us in the moment to perform His perfect will. He is alive and very present and active in our lives... He leads and we follow... moment to moment... breath to breath... battle to battle. Until we are able to say as He did... "It is finished." Our course upon this earth... our time of service in the war zone. Only then, when we are finally face to face with him... will the peace he gives be completely fulfilled. Until then, we follow by faith as we study to show ourselves approved as he has instructed us to do. We are to be good soldiers as discussed in 2 Timothy.
21"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
Persecution comes in all forms... from family... from church family.. from enemies... from strangers.. from the ungodly... It rears it's head in moments of insignificant matters and in huge matters that affect the state of nations. It is the grinding against of Light and darkness, spirit against spirit... the two are locked in a constant confrontation... warring in the heavenlies and upon the earth... among the seen and the unseen... you can feel it... you can taste it... you can sense it... but the only thing you can rely upon as Truth in any matter is His Word and His Spirit. All the other is real and in your face... but only His Voice is Good and Center and Eternal.
26"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
If ever there was a passage that brought confidence.. that assures justice in the face of injustice... that comforts and strengthens in the face of abuse and oppression... this is one. You are not truly a reflection of Christ if all men are speaking well of you. You are not truly a reflection of Christ if you never speak out against sin and injustice and corruption... if you speak softly and hide behind a mask of false humility... if your reputation as a Godly and Good person is more important that having someone not like you... if you can look the other way when God is telling you to see a need and to actually do or say something about it.
God sees all... that is something that I think I would like put on my tombstone. If I ever planned to get a tatoo, I think it would say that right across my forehead, around my neck, above my heart, or in my right hand. Knowing his character and his nature and his heart.... those three little words bring strength and encouragement in every situation of persecution and abuse... and they bring conviction and a strong push toward repentance in every situation that I have chosen sin over the will of God. That my friend is the double edged sword. It cuts both ways with such precision, to war against evil and to protect what is right and good and holy.
Accountability from yourself... as well as from those around you that call themselves by his name.
Holiness, inwardly and outwardly. Not mistaking holiness for perfection, though we are called to both, to increase in both, to desire them in order that we may be more like Christ.
You are valued by God. He will not pat you on the head and patronize you when evil attacks and wounds you. He fights for those he loves. He disciplines those he loves. He will never forsake you in the good or the bad, as long as you remain in relationship/family/marriage with him. Reject him, desire another instead of him, put others above him... and he will not stay where he is not wanted. His is a JEALOUS God as much as he is merciful. I just can't say it better than he did...
32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -
36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
His ways are not our ways. His ways are not our leaderships ways. His ways are not our denomination, or our family, or our friends, or what's trendy and popular and eccentric.
His ways are the will of the Father laid out in the Bible and fine-tuned by his Spirit. Reject any teaching or voice that detours from His ways.
Keep your eyes on Him ♥
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 8/7/2009 10:04:13 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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"Holy and Righteous Judge, I am glad that my fate, my future, and my life are in your hands. I know your love for me because of the gift of Jesus. I know your desire to save me because of your loving grace. I know your demand for holiness is met by the sacrifice of your Son. So God, I gladly and willingly trust my life, my soul, to you. Through Jesus I pray. Amen."
This is a prayer from one of my favorite Christianity.com devotionals HEARTLIGHT DAILY VERSE.
As I was starting my day with it... it came to mind about the topics of perfection and holiness that I've been discussing lately. The realization that there is none perfect, no not one... but that we are to constantly desire and to work toward them in order to be like Christ. The line in this prayer that says "I know your demand for holiness is met by the sacrifice of your Son," just spoke so much to me.
We are to do all we can, to hold ourselves accountable, to resist our fleshly and worldly desires, to deny our selfishness... knowing that we are gonna fail... and yet never allowing ourselves to be deterred from reaching that goal. That bulldog mentality, of locking that jaw on to something and never letting go no matter how much we get thrown around... no matter how much it works every muscle in our stumpy little bodies.
Here's the beauty... we will never be perfect... we will fail in ways from time to time... but when we pick ourselves up off the ground (as we allow Christ to bring healing and to return our strength)... the Blood of Christ washes away the blood and filth of that fall and of the damage done. Restoration comes... often with scars... but always with a greater wisdom and an undeniable equipping for victory.
You see, we are going to fall short when we are measured to the law. Everything outwardly, appearance-wise is gonna make our failures and shortcomings glaringly clear and evident. But God is looking past all the externals and focusing deeper... God is looking on our heart in the midst of that writhing and wrestling and groping on the ground. And when he sees that spark of commitment and determination and passion for Him refusing to be put out... with his face crowding into intimate places, watching and waiting and admonishing us, he gently blows on that ember.
It flickers and flares up and begins to blaze like a fire shut up in our bones...
We must refuse to let it go out... we must simply make up our mind that we refuse to die... we refuse to give up on the love of God no matter how miserably we fail or how miserably others fail us... that is our part... our vow in this marriage... our commitment and our fight...
and it is the Grace of God, his perfection, his holiness, his SACRIFICE that makes up the difference. He causes the outward issues, the law to yield and submit to what is happening inwardly, in our hearts. He moves the direction of judgment from outward to inward.... to inward to outward. He puts power back into our hands... he opens the door for us to choose Life. The instant we choose that Life, Jesus Christ, the will of God, submitting to his authority and Lordship over all else... every crack and flaw in our perfection and holiness is filled and eraced by his sacrifice and his mercy and his love.
He takes up the slack.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, son of God, is what makes us holy and perfect. We bring our will to him, our lives to him, our hearts to him... and he joins himself to us and burns away all impurity. He is the one that lit the spark in each of us... we make the choice to guard it or not. As we make it the core of our being, our one desire... his breath will breathe Life into it and onto it, the internals and the externals... the fire will blaze, Life will dance affecting all, as we are made worthy and able to enter that place of perfection and holiness despite our lack... we are changed gradually and instantaneously at the same time, in so many ways... we are conformed into the image of Christ according to his wisdom and will and way and not our own.
Because we are one with Him and HE MAKES IT SO.
There is no god like our God. He is great and beautiful, ever-present, holy and right, a gentle kiss and a strong and mighty arm. We are a blessed ppl. He has made himself known to us, so that we can know him and help others to know him. He overwhelms me, honestly, every single day.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 8/20/2009 11:43:13 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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Possibly one of the most beautiful and under-rated worship songs ever...
http://www.rhapsody.com/charlie-hall-2/the-bright-sadness
KNIT MY HEART by Charlie Hall (Bright Sadness)
I'll look on you and sing a song, sing a song.
Your name on me, You light up my heart, You light up my heart.
Knit my heart to you, I'll dream what you dream, and see what you see.
Knit my heart to you, I will move in you, and You move in me.
I'll fall in love deep inside, deep inside.
Laugh when you laugh, cry when you cry, cry when you cry.
Remove the stone, make my heart yours alone.
Remove the stone, make my heart yours alone.
Some of you know that I've been going thru a tremendous personal crisis, one that shadows all others in my lifetime.... one that took all joy and desire for life from me, and has caused me to not lean upon Christ but to fall into His arms tormented and empty and bleeding. I didn't feel like worship, I didn't feel like there was anything beautiful in this world... and I had lost all hope that anything could penetrate the blackness. My heart was blind.
But God did not walk away from me... what an under-statement. God refused to let me go... he refused to let the enemy drag my soul and my body to hell... Christ fought for me.
I never stopped loving him... I just took a hit and became completely disoriented. Ppl let you down in big ways and it's hard to get back up on your feet after a mortal assault. I was staggering and screaming and ripped open... blood in my eyes and deafened by the impact of war all around me and those I love.
But in the darkness... his hand moved mine. He led me to mix worship into my life even at a time when I didn't want to hear it, couldn't really hear it, felt as though it's very presence was a stinging to my heart and mind and soul. Yes, it was a stinging presence... but it was a cleansing balm.
As the music of hopelessness made it's way across my music players... so did the worship in those key moments that God ordained. It was interesting to me yesterday, now that I am finally able to hear the worship again and to feel it soaking into those deep places of wounding. It continues to sting, but the pain has become something beautiful and empowering. I had not realized how deeply and instrumental such worship has been in providing a second wind until yesterday when this song came across my player... KNIT MY HEART TO YOURS.
And I realized that those are the words that my soul has been screaming without even realizing it... screaming out to my God for help. It is the cry of the Spirit of God that gently whispered to me as so many prayed for God's mercy and healing and direction in my life. It was a request that opened the door for Christ to be my strength in such a time of wounding and weakness. I began to think about the simple request of this song and I realized that it is more than just being in Christ. It is Christ being in us.
It is a relationship that pulls both ways when you are truly knit together.
When he laughs, I laugh. When I laugh he laughs.
When I cry, he cries. When he cries I cry.
When your hearts are knit together... you can't leave the other behind. He won't. And something inside of me couldn't. I'm so glad that he moved me to fill my music player with worship even at a time when I couldn't hear or feel it. I'm so glad that his grace did not judge me when I clicked over those songs that tried to come up... that he waited for me to get to a place where I could receive the love and healing he wanted to speak. I'm so glad that he kept searching for those moments to remind me beauty can come from the ashes when we give him room and invitation to work in our lives.
Ppl get it so wrong. We mean well, and God uses our messy attempts. But so many voices around us and in our own heads tell us the wrong thing so very often. But that Spirit of Truth continues to gently whisper what is right and good and wise. And in his patience, God gets us to that place a little higher up and a little further in. One step at a time, one moment at a time, one battle at a time...
one tear at a time.
When a worship album is created by an artist who truly hungers for it to be an experience and not just entertainment... God pours an anointing over it. It actually speaks... like a letter to a church... like a hand on your shoulder or a knowing look close and intimate right in your face. You can play it and enjoy it and let it soak into you in casual and seemingly ordinary ways... but when that moment of great sadness or great brightness floods your life... the heart and lyrics of it will speak and touch and breathe Life into you.
Being an artist and a Christian is a calling. You are sharing your craft and your silly self... but you are also making yourself to be available for those moments for God to reach thru you and into the heart and life of ppl. That is the calling that is upon all of us and each of us that are called by his name. Some ppl take it more serious than others with a commitment to keep it all fun and simple at the same time. That balance is brought not when we are perfect and talented and extreme... but when we have experienced the realness of Christ in our own lives and that experience shines from all that we do like the glow that emerged from Moses' face.
It all sounds so cheesy and dreamy and idealistic... until you're blind and bleeding and staggering in the darkness of this world. And then suddenly that simple lyric, dropping into your soul from no where, becomes a word and a remedy and an embrace and an answer. I have always known that healing resides in the midst of worship, it is an atmosphere, a mystical cloud as it causes the presence of God to draw near and fill the room. But in those moments of deep wounding and darkest night as we journey thru this wretching life... it is sometimes difficult to see and hope and hold on. Our strength leaves us and we wander blind and deaf.. needing him to find us and take us by the hand and walk us thru to a healthy place again. And he does.
He will not forsake us...
Heb 13:5-6
5... God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."
6So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"
Deut 31:6
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Psalm 118:5-8
5 In my anguish I cried to the LORD,
and he answered by setting me free.
6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
I will look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
Excellent article with Charlie Hall where he talks about the heart of BRIGHT SADNESS, about the beauty and the messiness of Life.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/charlie.hall.reflects.on.forthcoming.release.the.bright.sadness/20549.htm
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 8/21/2009 10:37:41 AM
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IwillseekHim
Posts: 3536
Joined: 5/17/2009
Status: online
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Beautiful, Selahgirl. I, too am so thankful that He does not give up on me. It is truly one day at a time, one tear at a time. I find comfort also in knowing that He knows every single tear that falls. He is still working on me. And, on you, too. Your writings are always filled with beautiful insights into His Truth. I don't know what personal trials and tribulations you endure but hang in there and keep writing. It always touches my heart and gives me something to think about. I thank God that He uses your talent to reach out to us. Please keep it coming, dear sister. Thank You Very Much for what you bring to this forum. I believe that your writings inspire many of us. Your work does not go unnoticed here nor in Heaven. Keep it up!
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 8/21/2009 11:35:30 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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Thanks IwillseekHim <3
I was reading my devotion this morning and loved that God again spoke of the power of worship and song... especially in the dark of night, trials, those difficult moments of life.
Psalm 42:8
By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me -- a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/4/2009 1:21:19 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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Twitter-esque thoughts from my facebook ^_^
~ Mercy is always and everlasting, but sometimes consequences are scars that remain, a testimony and a strength to guard the gate. The enemy waits for a more opportune time, he loves using the same door that he knows is our weakness. Sometimes the shame of past sin enables us to remain strong and sure. Being free and comfortable can kill you, being free and under the weight of that cross just might save you and those you luv.
~ Paul and Peter knew they were forgiven and loved... but the shame of their sin continued to weigh on them... not in a way that brought condemnation... but in a way that brought a conviction and a passion to be more like Christ in every thought and action. "Don't underestimate" seems to be the buzz word currently in spiritual realms... don't underestimate the importance of allowing someone to feel ashamed of their sin.
~ "For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me (Ps 51)"
"to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. (Lk 7)"
it is not a loss of memory that we desire, it is PEACE WITH ...GOD. The shame and measure that we are repulsed by our sin is a good measure of our love and commitment and passion to be holy as he is holy.. Filthy Rags is recalled with shame (Is 64).
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/4/2009 1:49:04 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
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More of my thoughts on the matter...
~ Mercy without requiring Repentance enables ppl to remain in their sin... "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then..." (2 Chr 7). Forgiveness seventy tim...es seven times, without end... but always requiring repentance (Matt 18)... To eliminate the "IF you" is to turn Truth into a lie.. and yet a popular trend is doing just that.
~ IF yOU!... someone should make a shirt. haha ^_^
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/8/2009 11:42:28 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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dream: BAD EARTHQUAKE COMING
Don't know if you believe in dreams or not, but I do. I've had too many come true since I was a child to not. Not all dreams are significant but many are. Some are just pizza, so don't go all super-spiritual on me. Just pray and put this on the back burner =)
I had a dream that I was in a huge dorm or apt building with several floors. I had a horrible feeling that I couldn't shake, so I had gathered my family and the ppl close to me in the hallway on the first floor and was telling them that something was wrong but I wasn't sure what. Suddenly someone walked up to me and said, "yes, there is an earthquake coming, the worst one, it's going to be bad. You need to get them out of the building and you need to tell the other ppl."
He was dressed all in white, and he pointed to a corner door and said that we could get outside thru it. Then he was suddenly gone as quickly as he had appeared. The ppl with me didn't see him, but I told them what he said and I opened the door and ushered them all out. I told them that I would be there in a minute, and I went back down the hall ways banging on doors and yelling to ppl that an earthquake was coming. It was about 2:00am and they were all in bed and wouldn't answer there doors. So I started pulling fire alarms but none of them would work.
I ran to my room and grabbed some jeans and a T-shirt, cuz I was in my PJs and robe still. Then I ran back down the hallways still yelling and banging on doors and pulling fire alarms on my way toward the exit, but no one was responding. And the dream ended.
It may be a literal earthquake, or it may be a time of testing, or some other severe disaster, or a combination. Don't know.
Maybe it was pizza... or maybe something is coming down the road that is going to shake the church and test it like never before... or maybe it is a reminder of the Rapture and the urgency involved in these last days... or maybe it's just something in my personal life that I will understand down the road. Either way, I have learned that some dreams need to be spoken out loud... so that if God says something or gives direction in the near future, there will be confirmation.
If not, my conscience is clear before the Lord and I don't mind seeming foolish or kind of like a quack.
I trust God and I believe he speaks and guides in many ways, dreams are merely one of them.
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/9/2009 10:45:46 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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"heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest..." raw passion, violence, messy emotions.. that is the reality of a true encounter with Christ. When we are met between our breaking it seldom appears like puppies and sunshine.. it is usually an awkward, disheveled, unkempt, no-make-up moment that possesses the sweetest beauty that EVER LINGERS all the way down to ur toes <3
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/11/2009 12:06:52 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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God speaks healing thru worship. We draw near to him with our hearts, trusting him, knowing that he is all that is good. That if there is an answer, if there is peace, if there is any comfort, if we are miserable sinners or holy right saints... we know that he loves us and we can go to him...
no fear...
shame... yes.
condemnation... no.
freedom, deliverance, peace... despite the sin and shame of our weaknesses and failures. It is not a matter of memory loss, it's a love that loves despite the many reasons not to. He will not turn us away. He has promised, and he is not a man that he would lie. He is eternal God of Goodness and Justice and Mercy, loving Father, Prince of Peace, Friend, and Daddy.
With hearts that are broken and sincere, contrite and willing to turn from the selfishness that has caused so much hurt in the lives of ppl... we can come to him with no fear of rejection, knowing the stinging shame is a cleansing balm that will be short-lived though intense. The healing that results, the restoration of joy and peace with God and Man, will cause that stinging to quickly be a small thing. Don't fear the stinging of repentance, of laying down your pride, of letting go of that thing that has been such a part of who you were... cut it off, let everyone watch, cry, grovel, fall broken at his feet...
be willing to let it sting for a moment.
and then watch what happens... it is a miraculous thing. He will refuse to let you remain there. He will rush to you and fall down beside you, and he will wipe your tears away with his sleeve and stand you up and be your support, your strength, your restorer, your healer, your faithful friend and loving father. Don't compare him to your earthly father... he is a whole other kind of father, perfection.
Listen to this song and replace that line about Stephen with whatever you have lost, whatever the enemy has stolen, whatever ppl have destroyed, that thing that has wounded your very soul... the enemy orchestrated much in his complex web to shake your faith and trust and hope... maybe you have even been made to doubt the love of God in some way though in your heart you know better...
Stephen was a friend of John Mark who said one night that he would give his life if it would cause a generation of young ppl to know Christ. He died in a car crash that night. I'm not sure how exact this account is, but the testimony is on youtube with the details if you're interested.
Deep tragedy and betrayal and loss and failure is like a death. When you feel gutted to that extent, you just want to crawl in a hole somewhere and die. You feel alone and unimportant and as though God doesn't love you if he could let something so horrible happen. But that's a lie. This is the war. This is not home. We're on our way to that place of peace... and we get wounded and shell-shocked along the way as we battle thru this filthy battleground.
There is Good News.
There is healing in the camp.
The healer is here.
The hospital is not the Church... it's worship... it's being in the midst of an atmosphere full of two or more who are calling on God to come, who are trusting that Emmanuel is real and that he is with us just as he said. It is believing Jesus when he said that he would never leave us or forsake us, even though he called us to be soldiers and sent us into this horrible place to seek the lost and to lead them to salvation in his name.
What has died in your life?... a person, a relationship, a marriage, health, trust, love, hope???...
Know that on the day it died... God was there and he met you in your breaking and he wants you to know and not doubt that TRUTH....
how he loves us
and nothing will ever change that, don't let the enemy, don't let tragedy, don't let anything steal that trust from your heart. Hold on to it. It is your only hope. The hope of the world. Blessed and Sure, Fulfilled and Being Fulfilled. I know it hurts, I know it stings, go ahead and cry, scream, yell, ask your questions of him... but don't lose heart in knowing that nothing can snatch you out of his hand or separate you from the love of God. He won't give up on you. He won't leave you wounded on the battlefield. He will fight heaven and hell to get to you and get you home... and he is ruler over all of it... so failure is non-existent in his presence.
The darkness is broken... the Light has come and smashed it with such violence, like a great cracking and chasm and ever-increasing holy fire... quiet and beautiful and simple... but with a great hunger and roaring and zeal... spreading thru that place of death, this cursed and wretched world... and souls are being rescued and saved and plucked from the jaws of the devourer... Christ is the Light of the world and he swallows up the darkness, soon none of it will remain to hurt or harm in all his holy mountain. But he hears the cries of those that are calling on him for help... so he slows the pace of the war to get them out to safety before complete destruction comes. Not one who calls on him will be lost... make no mistake about that ever.
Our God fights for us.
Oh How He Loves us!!!
HOW HE LOVES US by John Mark McMillan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnOvuo7JmB0&feature=related
He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath
The weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these
Afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize how beautiful you are
And how great your affections are for me
Oh how he loves us so
Oh how he loves us
How he loves us so
Yea He loves us
Oh how
We are his portion
And he is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking
So heaven meats earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart burns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way
He loves us
Oh how he loves us so
Oh how he loves us
How he loves us so
Yea He loves us
Oh how
I thought about you
The day Stephen died
And you met me between my breaking
I know that I still love you God
Despite the agony
See people they want to tell me your cruel
But if Stephen could sing
He'd say its not true
Cause your good
.
< Message edited by selahgirl -- 9/11/2009 12:33:16 PM >
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/13/2009 9:40:28 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
Status: offline
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Been a while since I watched a TV preacher... but ran across this guy with WORLD OUTREACH CHURCH named Allen Jackson. He was teaching on Truth and Trusting God and oh my goodness, it was an incredible message. Never heard of him or his church but everything he shared was insightful and right on with some things that have been in my heart in recent years. It was like water to may soul, truly.
One thing he said that I think is very relevant for the church today was that we can't go to heaven with baby rattles in our hands... at some point we need to put our big boy britches on... if you believe in a WORD FOR THE CHURCH I believe that is it.
All this recent teaching from the mercy mongers has been like the tickling of ears talked about in Scripture. Ppl like it because it enable their sin and frees their conscience... leaders like it because it makes them feel popular and successful and feeds their arrogance. But it has made the church weak and nauseating.. and this generation sees it. That is one thing I love about this generation... they sit and watch and witness the corruption in the church and they are refusing to go along with it... they are questioning and searching and sifting trying to make sense of the disconnect between the Word of God and the current face of the Church... cause they look nothing alike... they wear the same name of Christ but one is a false Christ.... and it's not the Word of God.
The Church needs to start facing some consequences which is a mark of true repentance and maturity. She has played the coward in her personal life for too long and smooth-talked others into keeping her company in her sin and arrogance. If there is anyway to look up this guys message so you can hear it for yourself. I encourage you to do it. Everything he taught today was the process needed to clean up our act.
It is soap and water, and the Church is in dire need of a good scrub.
Love to you <3
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/15/2009 1:10:46 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
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quote:
Why can't all of the Christians and other good religious people come together protest the injustices of this world? I don't get it. Can anyone show me what large groups of religions are doing any major repairing of this messed up world?
For the same reason our prisons grow every year... more ppl choose to do evil than to do good.
Scripture hints of the future thru prophecy and explains that things will grow darker and darker as man's inhumanity to man becomes more and more grotesque due to SELFISHNESS and GREED, ARROGANCE and SIN.
The earth groans because it is cursed... we are all born into this world approaching death, physical death as well as spiritual death... God's grace offers salvation on both counts for those who trust God and take his out-stretched hand to help them. It's like being on the Titanic... you either get in a lifeboat or you go down with the ship and die eternally. Only there are plenty of life boats, just not enuff ppl wanting to leave the ballroom and climb aboard.
This world will never be fixed. It will always grow worse, the poor will always be among us, this life and world remains in a war zone because it is cursed and dying. God tried to warn Adam and Eve not to open that door. We all know better than to choose selfishness over what is right, we all know how wrong it is to hurt others with our choices and our failure to share the good things in our life. And yet, mankind keeps choosing evil every day, over and over, generation after generation.
But there is a remnant that struggles to get it right. They see their sin and their failures and their imperfections and they are broken hearted over it, grieved, soooo sorry, and asking (begging) God to help them to do better, to be better... and they are improving every day. Though none of us will ever reach perfection in this life. The question is do we have a heart for it... do we honestly want what is right and good, are we improving?....
Some ppl give up on the promises of God. Others hold on tightly by faith even when the hopelessness and darkness of this world threatens to blind them in every way. There are ppl that need to know there is an end coming, an end to the pain and suffering and evil of this world. We are here to tell them, anyone who will listen and believe and follow Christ with us. Those are the ones climbing into the lifeboats, the ones who will live to see a better day...
This world is the Titanic.... it's going down. We are told to occupy until he comes for us, to seek and save the lost who are crying in the darkness, to lead them to salvation, to tell them the Truth, to introduce them to the reality that Jesus is alive and well, that God is with them and has worked an intense plan to deliver them from the pain and evil they have known. But it would be selfish to go to that life and that peace with God and leave others to die....
To be like Christ, we gotta search every deck of that sinking ship. We've got to brave the icy waters to pull those who have fallen over board from the clutches of the deep... and we have to be the hands and legs and voices and hearts to hoist them up into the life boat until their strength returns.
Seems impossible... but God is with us. He is our strength and he will make us able. He set the example, self sacrifice, service to the death, giving all, loving others more, loving the Father most. It's not about religion, or Christianity or the Church.... it's about being like Christ, following his example and going every where that he went. He saved the world. He's just asking that we go and tell ppl before time runs out and this entire world is swallowed up in death <3
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/30/2009 11:32:28 AM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
Status: offline
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Time doesn't seem to heal all wounds. But God is able to change us and the situations we face, so that the scars that remain are bearable. The pain never leaves, not yet, not on this earth. I see so many ppl that have been thru gut-wrenching tragedy and they wear a well meaning mask... but the pain continues to peek out from under it. The ppl around them that have not known that dark place where evil rips your chest open and attempts to devour your heart, such ppl cannot see it... But those that have met the enemy face to face, who have felt the talons plunge so deep into their flesh, who have heard their own screams shake the very earth in agony and pain and terror... the mask cannot hide what lies underneath.
The pain is bearable, but it remains none the less. I have been thru many things in my lifetime from a young age, and the hurt inflicted still carries a sting and a suffering, the hurt of every instance. Many teachers and preachers would criticize me for that... but truth and reality are what they are.
But God...
changes me day to day, and every time I hurt from attacks past and present... self inflicted or abuse... God causes me to grow and to see some new and beautiful thing. Ppl ask me now and then, how did you get such depth to your walk... I tell them reading the word of God and praying, and letting God apply it to whatever I face each day... listening when he speaks in the big and the small... believing the obvious and the miraculous... trusting that if my heart makes every decision with a desire and a sincere passion for his will to be done... I cannot fail... I cannot make a wrong choice... he will guard and intervene to ensure victory in the end. God looks on the heart, the intent... and he honors the outcome no matter what, AS LONG AS we have invested and risked and sacrificed to perform his will above our own. It puts us on the same page with him. It aligns our heart with the Father's heart.
But I am reminded of a price that goes with such a calling...
Mark 10
35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
36"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
37They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
38"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
39"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
John 18
10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)
11Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
I Corinthians 11
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Drinking from that cup is more than just remembering the sacrifice that Christ made... it is a submission to follow his example... to remember the work of Christ not just in our hearts and minds, not just inwardly, but to be ready to drink from that cup of suffering as we live our life on this putrid earth. Christ dreaded the pain... in Gethsemane he asked the Father to take the cup from him...
Matt 26
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
The consequences of sin were heaped on him. He was innocent, but he felt the weight of every sin we inflict on one another and every sin inflicted upon us. He is well acquainted with our sorrows, he knows the hurt and torment we carry, he shares the scars upon his body and upon his heart. And that is why he fights for us with such passion, he understands, and he will hold on to us no matter what devil in hell or angel above tries to separate us from his love.
It hurts... I get it... but so does God.
I can't fix this, you can't fix this, but he can. He can change us, and the ppl involved and the situation, and he can make us able to bear anything, if we will trust him and give him time and room to work. Some things in life are sooooo unjust, soooo painful.... soooo unbearable. But we are not facing it alone. God is with us, fighting for us, guiding us, healing us, crying with us, carrying us, challenging us, changing us. He is not sitting on a throne looking all majestic and waving his hand around in slow sweeping motions...
He came down to earth when the attack was launched against you... he is angry and traveling on dark clouds breathing out smoke in a rage that the enemy would dare lay a hand on his child...
Psalm 18
6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
That entire Psalm is incredible. God doesn't just pat us on the head and say "there there now I've got it all under control, stop being so emotional." He reacts with emotion... always with self-control and wisdom and mercy... but with strong emotion and feeling. In this Psalm, he hears the cry of his child that praises him, he comes down in a rage, picks him up in the midst of the attack, sets him in a place of refreshing and equipping, and then puts him back in the battle. God wants us to learn to fight our own battles as his child, with his nature, with his weapons. And then when victory is won, we played a part, we were one with him as a family, we praise him on a deeper level for what he has done and enabled us to do.
He will change us or the situation or both.
But sometimes change takes time.
Wait on the Lord is my encouragement to you. My pastor gave me the most powerful advice in my current situation, "If you don't know what to do, don't do anything." God will make you sure when the time is right, his voice will be clear, and he will send confirmation. Sometimes it is just a knowing... but you will know the will of God in that moment. He will remove all doubt.
Be strong and full of courage <3
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RE: Did I just think that out loud?... - 9/30/2009 1:44:01 PM
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selahgirl
Posts: 697
Joined: 5/20/2005
From: God is with you, never forget that <3
Status: offline
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A Hard Taskmaster?
Some days it just seems like I can't shut my brain off... new revelations seem to just fall upon me like a constant refreshing rain... pulling thoughts together... sometimes thoughts and dreams and situations from life that span over years... and sudden moments of clarity or insight reveal themselves as the pieces are so unexpectedly drawn together...
I cannot begin to explain the many things that have brought about my current ponderings, ponderings that came somewhat suddenly but involving years. So I won't try. But I really feel that church leaders in this hour would do well to consider whether their ministry carries the scent of a HARD TASKMASTER. One that has become a slave driver... a harsh and unfeeling slave driver... one that gets behind the sheep and drives them like cattle rather than walking before them and leading them as Christ does.
Whether they are driving them to a good and Godly goal, or whether they are driving them to a vision based upon a man-made goal... it is more the manner of ministry rather than the goal they are aiming for that is the pressing issue. Jesus stands before us as the Good Shepherd, calling and leading us into all righteousness, into the will of the Father. Ministers of the Gospel (Christians) follow his example, leading others to Christ and the will of the Father. We hear him speak, we follow his voice, and we turn to those who are lost and guide them with the Words of Christ. We don't really know the way they should walk. We know the direction is toward the Father, Son and Spirit... but each step they are to take along the way in getting to him for themselves is fresh and uncharted. We are dependent upon Jesus as we minister and lead the lost because we ourselves are constantly following and learning and changing.
However, when we stand behind the sheep driving them and manipulating them, we force them to go in the direction we choose. They are driven by pain and fear rather than by a desire and intrigue to encounter this Jesus that they have glimpsed thru us. Our goal fails to depend on Christ to direct their lives and ours... but has become a carnal desire to control others as though their obedience and allegiance is due to us as much as Christ. We attempt to steal the worship of the sheep without even realizing what we are doing. We become Hard Taskmasters driving them along according to our will, instead of seeking the will of God for their lives and walk.
There must be order in the church, there is a chain of authority to keep things running smoothly, a matter of giving the final word for situations to a leader after much prayer and wise counsel has been sought. Even when we disagree, we are to submit in most matters. But when those leaders begin to drive the flock along and inflict wounds to impose their will upon them, demanding their obedience as though they are equal to God (maybe not above him but equal to him) that is error, that is sin, that is dangerous and will always result in destruction and death in some manner.
I urge christians and leaders to examine the manner of their ministry in this hour. Seek God and get alone before him, seek wise counsel and get prayer over your personal life and your ministry... ask God to reveal any area that you have been driving the sheep instead of leading them. Repent and apologize in whatever manner God ordains, and change the method of your ministry. Feed the Sheep... Lead the ppl... as you follow the Shepherd in your personal walk and in your ministry.
The goal should always be to lead them to him
as he continues to lead you to the Father.
That spirit of a hard taskmaster is a plague in the church in this hour,
but I believe that God is about to raise up an army of Good Shepherds to heal the hurts of the ppl, to lead them back to Christ and to his Word, to heal the sick and raise the dead that have been murdered within the church and outside of it.
Turn the ignition off of that car, end the former things, that old way of ministry.
Let God raise it up new and anointed, clean and alive in Christ.
God is calling Good Shepherds forth and reforming those of a broken and contrite spirit.
Repent and be baptized for God is doing a new thing, the day of salvation is now, the inside of the pot is being cleansed, and the beam is being removed. God is restoring sight to those blind guides that have a passion to see again, and soon they will be healed and will lead the Church into a restored Hope and Promises fulfilled. Those that refuse will remain in the pit because of their arrogance and their rejection of salvation and healing.
<3
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