The arts play an important role in influencing the values and ideas of all cultures, and I want to be raised up as a faithful messenger who will promote Jesus in society and bring glory to His name in all that I do.
April 2012
21 posts
“If you really know God, you will be serving His purposes and working for His kingdom. You won’t be able to sit around while the world goes to hell.” —Brother Yun
March 2012
33 posts
Listen.
LISTENING TO GOD
by David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]
Most Christians don’t listen to God. They go to Him only to talk! Yet the
Scriptures reveal that any person who was ever used of God learned to remain in
His presence until hearing from Him.
Scripture makes it clear that the Lord wants to talk to every one of us: “And
thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in
it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah
30:21).
I heard of a little girl suffering from leukemia who was struggling with the
thought of dying. One morning when her mother came into her room, the girl was
all aglow and happy. “What has happened to you?” her mother asked.
The little girl answered, “An angel came to me and said I was going on a trip.
God came and took my hand and walked with me through a beautiful garden. He
told me, ‘You’re coming here tomorrow to be with Me.’”
God spoke to that little child and took all the pain and fear from her heart.
When she left to be with Him the next day, she had total peace.
When you are intimate with Jesus, do you receive direction from Him? Does He
tell you what to do and when and how to do it? Some Christians don’t believe
God does this but Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice … and they follow me”
(John 10:27).
In your trial, get alone with Jesus and cry, “Lord, You’re the only One who can
help me. Only You know the way through this trial, so I’m going to stay here
till You tell me what to do.”
This is the kind of praying that is pleasing to God. It means stopping
everything, all activity. Only then will you hear Him speak clearly to your
heart: “You must make things right with this person.” Or, “Just stand still
till next week. Don’t get in a hurry. Sit in My presence and trust Me.” He will
give you clear directions.
Jesus you never cease to amaze me.
Notes.
“Oh Lord, pour my life out as a drink offering for you. May I burn with zeal and holiness for you. And in all of the ways I blow it and fail, may I run to You!”
Grace when grasped by the believing heart will make us free enough to be obedient. It motivates us to be obedient.
There is freedom in the dead.
True discipleship is joyous, not burdensome.
If you already have God’s favor and if you’ve been completely loved by Him, no matter how you do with your godliness list today, you don’t have to worry about Him kicking you out or disowning you because you fail. That’s good news.
There is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.
Condemnation is “I want to approve of myself”.
When we live in the light of God’s love, obedience is no longer a burden but out of joy.
If Obedience is for me… on how I’m going on this road of sanctification.
No matter how hard I try, I will not find within myself the desire, motivation, and the power to pursue true Godliness. We are transformed.
We have to see ourselves as sons and daughters, whom He is well pleased.
Do not be afraid.
Grace cleanses us from guilt. We can be motivated by guilt, to outwardly conform or to gain approval .. When you obey out of guilt, you are still obeying for yourself. True obedience is out of love for God and not to have approval.
Flee to the savior who love sinners. Throw yourself at the foot of the cross and REST!
Grace purifies our motives because it removes the self-serving guilt from the equation.
No guilt in life.
So, how would you live if your life was guilt free?
You no longer fight to prove anything anymore.
Stop working to earn His favor.
Rest in His merit alone.
http://www.crpc.org/media/sermon/liberate-audio:-elyse-fitzpatrick
Be aggressive toward the fear of man.
David vs. Saul
Life is a web of trials and temptations”, says Robert Capon, “but only one of them can ever be fatal-the temptation to think it is by further, better, and more aggressive living that we can have life.” The truth is, that you can’t live your way to life–you can only “die [your] way there, lose [your] way there…For Jesus came to raise the dead. He did not come to reward the rewardable, improve the improvable, or correct the correctable; he came simply to be the resurrection and the life of those who will take their stand on a death he can use instead of on a life he cannot.”
Rejoice!
Rejoice in the Lord
Buddy Riddle
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. - Philippians 4:4-9
What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord? I mean really be at peace and rejoice in the Lord. Now some of you may be thinking, “Pastor, you don’t know how bad my life is or how bad my life has been. It would be pretty hard for me to rejoice right now.”
Well, we all have a starting point, and you won’t understand how to “rejoice in the Lord” if you start in the middle. In the verses above, Paul is not saying “don’t worry, be happy.” He’s talking about a supernatural joy that comes not from circumstances, but from a deep contentment in Christ. We so often want to try to get peace and joy from our circumstances, and we keep asking God to change them. But what God wants to do is show us that the path to joy starts by trusting in the sovereign, living God through the person of Jesus Christ. He wants to show us that we can have unbelievable, supernatural joy in the middle of any circumstance. Really. It can happen. We place such false confidence in our circumstances bringing us joy. You know, the “If I just had fill-in-the-blank, I could finally rejoice. “And just how long would that last if you got it? The reality is that our circumstances are always changing. Think about it; if you found the most wonderful circumstances—your spouse, your baby, a new car, a boyfriend or girlfriend—pick whatever you want. Will it stay the same? Well, will it? The spouse will change, the baby will need changing, the car will soon lose that new car smell, that boyfriend or girlfriend will be disappointing—it all changes. Circumstances are shifting sand and you can’t stand on them—or find deep joy in them alone. The starting point is finding joy in the person of Jesus Christ; not success, not people, not money, not status, not drugs and alcohol, not therapy, but in a deep, abiding relationship with the Lord.
You may ask, “So, exactly how do I do that?” Cultivate a relationship with Him through prayer where you both talk to Him and listen to Him. You know you are having a good relationship with someone when you are actively trying to hear what they have to say. Abide in Him. Spend so much time with Him reading His Word and praying that talking to Him becomes natural. Joy will now come, and over time, you will see that no matter what the circumstance, your joy and peace, as long as it is found in Christ first, will remain. Journal: What is my first reaction when I hear that God wants me to rejoice in all circumstances? Am I inclined to work at obeying this direction? How might my response to daily routines change as I consider the depth of my relationship with God?
Prayer: Father, what a joy it is to know that You want me to abide with You at all times. Forgive me when I get caught up in the busyness of my day and don’t spend the time I need to be able to rejoice in all circumstances. Help me to remember that You love me and watch out for me. Help me to carve out time in my schedule for You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
IS PRAYER A BURDEN?
by David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]
Perhaps prayer is a burden to you. Is prayer boring to you? Is it more of a
duty than a pleasure?
So few Christians enter God’s presence with delight, simply for the pleasure of
His company. Some think of it only as “work.” Yet, when we commune with a dearly
loved one here on earth, do we think of it as work? No, it is a pleasure to us!
If you are happily married, you don’t think of your times of intimacy with your
spouse as “work.”
Christ likens His relationship with His people to that of a husband and wife
and the Bible says Jesus delights in us! The fact is, a husband’s pleasure in
enjoying intimacy is not simply the satisfaction of his own needs. No, his real
pleasure is in the joy of knowing his wife shares his delight. He says in his
heart, “She really wants to be with me. I’m first in her heart—I’m everything
to her!”
We know the Lord delights in His people. David said, “He delivered me, because
he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19). The Scripture gives us a picture of the Lord
and His exuberant delight in us.
Yet, do we delight in Him? The Bible tells us: “Delight thyself also in the
Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4).
Delighting in the Lord does not mean simply being happy in His presence. I
asked the Lord what the word “delight” means and He answered:
“David, delighting in Me means simply being able to say: ‘I would rather be
with Jesus than with anyone else on earth. I prefer His company to that of my
spouse, my family, my friends. I prefer Him over all celebrities, world
leaders, even great men and women of God. He is my delight!’”
It also means being able to say, “I long to be shut in with Jesus because He
is the only One who can satisfy me. All others leave me empty and unfulfilled.
No one but Jesus can touch my deepest needs and I rush to Him as often as I
can.”
“The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I? Light up the darkness.”
Bob Marley
In the path of your judgements, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
isaiah 26:8-9
Returning
Starfield
God it seems that You are drawn to our weakness
That You are motivated by our tears
And it seems you’re moved to mercy through repentance
With no hesitation looking past the wasted years
At the prodigal’s sheepish returning
Expecting rejection and rehearsing his lines
He is met with the cross
Met only by the mercy of God
As it’s poured out before him
I love the way the Father waits
Though met by arrogance and hate
How fire does fall and quench their yearning
I love to watch the lost returning
Though we seem to always choose the hard way
And just keep wandering in the wilderness
outside the Promised Land
No amount of running from You
No height nor depth nor any power
Can ever separate us
Among all of Your creation
Of all the beauty to behold
There is nothing more beautiful
Nothing more sacred
Then a broken man
That’s poured out before You
I love the way the Father waits
Though met by arrogance and hate
How fire does fall and quench their yearning
I love to watch the lost returning
I love to see the broken weeping
To see the dead awake from sleeping
How fire does fall and quench their yearning
I love to watch the lost returning
Where can we go from here?
Through so many miles and so many years
To the feet of Jesus
Where the wounded heart is found
There the grace of God abounds
To be in Christ, is to have overcome the world.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
War for souls.
Saturate me in your love, so I will never run dry.
My heart is burning for you Lord.
My life’s purpose is to love you God and make you known.
“
A recent devotional I read by Matt James Kelly.
But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”
Romans 9:20 NIV
If faith is the belief in things unseen, then the opposite of faith is fear. Fear is the absence of faith; a resistance to things we cannot control, know or see. Refusing to question is essentially saying God Himself is too weak and His spirit incapable of bringing individuals full circle with their doubts and back into powerful faith living. To put it more simply—it is fear.
The problem is not the faith crisis itself. The faith crisis is a normal human response and the problem lies in what happens after. We have to allow faith to influence the way we live, and the way we engage the world around us. We have to take a step into belief while in the shadow of challenges and doubts.
What cause you the most fear? How can you combat this internal crisis with faith?
” —Lord, though I’m scared of what the future holds, if I can have more of you and be more dependent on you, I’ll do it.
There is power in the name of Jesus, to break every chain.
