Laying it Down and Picking up my Cross.

Recently I was prompted by the Lord to lay somethings down for the sake of my relationship with Him. It defiantly has been painful and has caused some of those that I love to hold bitterness toward me. It is one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do. However, it is totally worth it because I am called to lay everything in my life down for the sake of the cross. Sometimes we have to lay things down... (even loved ones sometimes) so that we are able to relentlessly and passionately follow after Jesus Christ our Lord. As hard and as painful as it may be... I am hidden in Christ and in Him I find rest. In Him I find the strength that I need to get through each day. I serve a God that can command graves to open and the dead to rise.... how much more should I trust him to command the death from my past to rise once again. In Christ sin has lost it's power and death has lost in sting. The enemy can no longer hold me in bondage to the sin of the past generations of my family, because I have been made whole in Christ. When I die I will not be remembered for my families name but for whose name I carry. The name of Christ!

The Heart of a Servant

I was just talking with a friend today about the importance of excellence in everything, and about how even the smallest details matter so much. When we become lazy even in something as small as house work it can be a misrepresentaion of Chirst. We are called to reflect Christ in everthing we do and possesing the heart of a servent is so important. The heart of a true servent will be more than willing to do the small insignificant work that may never be recognized by others. The heart of a servant gives more that %100. They are willing to do above and beyond the call of duty because they care so deaply for those around them.

Setting the Stage for a Mirical

I sat down to watch the news for a bit the other night and once again they were going on about the recession. As I was sitting there listening to this vomit of depressing information it almost made me want to cry. Not because of the drastic decline our economy is in, but because it was almost like God was giving me a little taste of what He feels for us. We are in a season right now were everything we cling to for comfort is being stripped from us and we have nothing else to fill this vacant space within us. He longs so much to be our everything. Can you imagine how much His Holy Spirit must be grieving right now? To look down and see those who He longs so much to be in relationship with searching for something to fill the emptiness they feel inside, to hide that fear of the unknown. We are in a place right now where people are desperately searching for something secure, something they can hang onto. What they do not realize is that their soul is really longing of its creator. The rock that cannot be shaken. The one thing in this life in which our hope is secure! It's not hard to see hopelessness. I am sure you encounter it everyday. Here is a thought... What do you think would happen if you spoke the Hope that Christ can bring into those impossibly hopeless situationas? What would happen if you brought the presence and the peace of Christ to those places?
If there was ever a perfect time to be sharing the gospel... It's now! People are so hungry for security. They don't even realize that Christ is the one thing that even their innermost being has been longing for. We need to be pointing people to the cross, because it's only in the cross that we find hope.
Hope creates an atmosphere for change to happen! My pastor said something that has really stuck with me. He said: "Hope can become the loudest voice in a persons life, even if it was just a whisper!"
In closing I have one last thought. Picture this with me. You live on a busy street. Everyday one your way to work you walk past a guy that is literally starving. You have plenty of food. More than enough in fact. One day you walk by and he is not there. About a week later you hear that the man died of starvation. Yet you walked by him every single day and did nothing about it. There are spiritually starving people all around you everyday and yet so many times we pass them by and let them starve. One day you'll wake up and hear that they died without ever receiving the bread of life because you where to afraid to share Jesus with that person. Whether we like it or not... this is the circumstances that we find ourselves in everyday! Don't pass people by just because you just want to exist and never be seen.

God moves in our lack.

I was listening to Garris preach on Sunday morning and something that he said has really stuck with me. He said: "Hell will always send a voice to mock the place of our greatest lack." As I was thinking about that statement I remembered a verse in Corinthians. It says something to the effect of, " In our weakness he is made strong". It makes so much sense why the enemy would want to attack that place in our life that we are the most insecure about because that is the very place that we will begin to see God birth amazing things out of! This is something that always keeps me humble and it reminds me that its not about me. I cannot do any of this on my own, but it is only by the the power of Gods Holy Spirit at work in and through my life!

Thoughts

Jesus,

I pray for a supernatural release of your pressence upon my town God. I pray for hearts to be turned back to you and for the lost and broken hearted to find rest in your arms! God breathe into us a passionate love for the things of your kingdom. God I pray that even now... walls would be broken down... bondeges would be broken... and and footholds of the enemy would be shatterd! Humble us oh God! When the world looks at us... let us be a reflection of who you are. Help us see in the supernatural even more than in the natural. Lord, open our eyes to the oppertunities you provide us with everyday to show you to people. And break our hearts for what breaks yours. Let everything that we are be directed for you and you alone!

Amen!!

Why?

As believers we are constantly asked one question: "Why". This is such a simple question but there can be so many answers. The question is simply asking, "what is the motive for your actions?". Why do we go out of our way at work to make sure that we go the extra mile even though we may never be thanked for it? Why? The world looks at the things that we do and scratches theirs heads because the concept of a servant goes against anything that they are normally taught to believe. Christs love should be the very thing that drives everything that we do. So when someone asks why. Just simply reply: "Because the love of Christ compels me to."

No Matter What...

"I praise the Lord, who is my rock.

He trains my hands for war
and he gives my fingers skill for battle.
He is my loving ally and my rescuer.
He is my shield, and I take refuge in him.
He makes the nations submit to me.
Open the heavens Lord and come down.
Touch the mountains so they smoke."

Pslam 144:1-2 & 5

"For you kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
You rule throughout all generations.
The Lord always keeps his promises.
He is gracious in all he does. The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts those bent beneath their loads."

Psalm 145:13-14

"He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
He counts the stars
and calls them by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
He understanding is beyond comprehension!"

Psalm 147:3-5

Yesterday I got a disturbing phone call from a family member. He informed me of the hopeless situation he is in and as I sat there... this rush of emotion came over me. I tried my best to hold myself together, to be strong long enough to get through the phone call. As I hung up the phone... tears came streaming down my face uncontrollably. I just sat there weeping and asking God what I was supposed to do. It was getting late to I went home took a shower and got a good nights sleep.
This morning as I was spending some time in the word. I was reading through these portions of scripture. As I was reading this I could not help but remember the verse: "I am the same yesterday, today and forever." Because the fact of the matter is, he never changes. We do. When things get hard... generally... we change in effort to protect ourselves. But God, he never changes. God is not so limited that he would be blown over my the first storm that comes along.
It is so important that no matter what happens we remember that Jesus is good regardless of what we are going through. That in itself is reason enough to rejoice. It is reason enough to praise him because his love never fails!
So what am I supposed to do now? I don't know, but in this most trying time when the winds of life blow up against me harder and harder... I can lean on him. He is the rock that cannot be shaken and our helper in our time of need.