IT'S JUST A GREAT EARTHQUAKE!

Acts 16:25-34.........25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
NKJV

Now in Acts 16:16-24, we find out how Paul and Silas ended up in a prison. People are all connected in some way, and we see it here in this passage. Paul had cast the spirit out of the young girl who followed them around.

Because of their act on the spirit, the girl's masters seized Paul and Silas. They dragged them to the the marketplace to authorities of the city. Being led to the magistrates, the order was given for Paul and Silas to be beaten with rods and after receiving many stripes to their bodies, they were taken by the jailer to the inner prison and their feet were secured in the stocks.

As we find Paul and Silas praying and singing about midnight, we find that the prisoners were listening to them and those hymns to God!
Suddenly there was a "great earthquake". Not a 3.2, but a great earthquake..........so great that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors opened immediately from the force. Interesting that all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. The keeper of the prison was also awakened. Interesting he was awakened out of his sleep. Did he not hear the singing and praise going on? Yet, it states that Paul yelled out.............loudly......not to kill himself.
Yes, a violent shaking and all the doors of the prison opened. The keeper drew his sword to kill himself as he was alarmed that the prisoners probably had left the prison.

Paul and Silas were exerting a godly influence, when staying in the same place they had been chained. They were exerting some influence, when Paul told the keeper to do himself no harm. They were exerting godly influence in giving the "keeper" the thing he needed. "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
He called them "sirs"! Okay, they smell like stinky poop. It was probably the stinkiest place on earth and being in the depths of the prison probably proved to be hot and foul! This guy calls them sirs!

In those moments, when something occurs as the "great earthquake", a 9-11, or F-5 tornado, would we be there, standing and delivering the message of life to be saved? If you were locked up in chains and they fell off, would you stand or would you run? ( is it every man for himself?)
I think of those who, if they experienced it today, would say, "the Lord has loosed the chains, and I am out of here." If that great earthquake occurred in or around a prison and the doors flew open, how many do you think would flee the area without thinking twice about it?
I was thinking of the movie "Fugitive" and the train wreck. There were a lot of convicts making their way off that train for freedom!


When we talk of the salvation message, we think of what we were expected to do when presented with the same as the "keeper". It is knowing that we are to be loyal to One. It is knowing we need saving. Once conversion came, we became the family of God. We had to make a choice.
These men had to make a choice to stay in the prison even though it was "wide open" and nothing held them. But one thing held them. It was their character. They were connected to God!

One dictionary defines character as " the complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person." Character is said to be the stable and distinct quality that is built into an individual which determines his or her response of circumstances.

Our character is determined by that one that rules it. We can see in scripture that Peter confirms Jesus' words. Let's look into the book of Acts.
Acts 5:29-32................. 29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him." 
NKJV

Where does our loyalty lie? Was I forced to make a decision for Christ? No, I was not forced, but I certainly knew I had it placed before me and the question had to be answered. I NEEDED A SAVIOR!  Yes, I received Jesus as Lord of my life. 
But that "loyalty"  has to be in place every day and not only on "church day"!.
When the world puts pressure on us, and we must make decisions, is Jesus on the throne of our hearts, AND what will our character reveal?
Will we stand as Paul and Silas, and bring others to Jesus.........or flee like Chicken Little.............the sky is falling........kind of thing........."should I stay, or should I go"?
Will we revert to the past and use those old habits to rule our decisions or will we keep Jesus seated on our hearts? Running in when a catastrophe occurs, as in 9-11, is something most have to think about doing. For those like firemen, police officers, and paramedics, it is something they do not have to think or meditate on, they are ready for it! For me, seeing that ash and smoke rising and falling to create the sense of late evening, gave me the shutters to the core of my being.

When we read on about Paul and Silas, the "keeper" brought them out, and cleaned their wounds. He took them home, fed them and his whole house was saved!
Standing still when adversity comes, IS MUCH LIKE that silence that comes after the great earthquake. I know for I have been in an earthquake and have heard the silence after things stop crashing and the ground stops rumbling like a bowling ball against pins in a bowling alley all going at once.........and then silence!
Standing still, everything is torn apart, nothing looks familiar and WHAT? Standing still in the silence when a word comes that your step-father has passed suddenly and your mother is taken to the hospital. What will those circumstances reveal about our character?
A WORD COMES, AND IT IS NOT A GOOD WORD!
No one is exempt from this one thing! Paul and Silas were not exempt from them.
What will be revealed in your life, when the enemy comes with a circumstance? When the moment comes, AND THOSE thoughts and pressures build about that circumstance, will you or I sing? These men went from beatings to singing, to a great earthquake, to giving the message of salvation to others.


Today, we pray in Jesus' holy name. Father, we set ourselves to pray and not lose heart.(Hebrews 12:3)
Lord, we know not what obstacles we will face today. But we thank You for illumination in situations that we cannot understand at this time. Our hearts are set on You. Whatever the circumstances today, whatever heartache, you have given us the ability to hear You speak in these situations.
2 Peter tells us that God has given us all things that pertain to life and godly living. It is understandable then that wisdom and revelation has been given to us as well and that we have access to it. 

Father, we pray to be those who will sing praise to You through the most horrific of times, and give YOUR message of salvation when all others may be fleeing the house. We desire to be those who co-operate with YOU and receive instruction as we lean into YOU and receive faith for this walk. Today, we pray to hear YOU in every circumstance we face. The surface of everything may look good to us, but You Lord have all knowledge as YOU see the end from the beginning. Today, we pray to be those who will listen and know Your voice. So when any catastrophic event may occur, to shake up our lives, we know hearing YOUR voice will give us the direction in and through those hidden dangers, obstacles and traps the enemy may have placed in our path to cause us to stumble. Trouble may come, and pain may come into our hearts for the loss of a loved one, or where we stand is no longer familiar to us, but our every focus is on YOU, the Great I AM in our midst. In the midst of these trials, our names remain the same, the place may look different, and there may even be those smells of smoke and the sounds of disaster, but we remain and abide in YOU, our Fortress and Hightower. Praise be to God, the Faithful One, the Everlasting One, The Great "I AM" ! AMEN.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

Takeover!

2 Kings 6:1-7..............6:1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell." So he answered, "Go." 3 Then one said, "Please consent to go with your servants." And he answered, "I will go." 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed." 6 So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, "Pick it up for yourself." So he reached out his hand and took it.   NKJV

It is likely when this ax head fell into the water, it could not be seen. They say the Jordan usually ran high and with rapids. This act of borrowing something that belongs to someone else comes into play in truth when it is lost. For the sheer force of wielding an ax head at the base of a tree takes some muscle and great force. This ax head must have been at the point of being loose that with one great blow to the tree, the actual coming back to over the man's shoulder presented a new force to see it fly in the direction of the flowing river.

We know that iron will not float, at least not in the gravity we live in accord with. Anything weighty surely has a force that pushes it further into that which it has fallen.

I remember my father having an ax and it was sharpened always and he told me never to "play" with it. I was out one day tending to the trash that needed to be burned. Yes this was before "recycling". He had brought his ax out to cut off some low hanging branches off a couple of trees. Well, I thought I would just pick it up. And the weight of it caught me off guard and the blade part of the ax came down on my shoe very close to the largest toe. Yes, I had a cut on the canvas shoe that was worn for summer, but praise the Lord, my foot was intact!
In thinking of this project these prophets were doing, I wondered how many knew how to wield an ax. I wonder how many, if any knew the care that it needed to keep its edge!
Any thing worth doing, is worth the effort to use the right tools for the project and have some training with the tools being used.

That Word KEEPING THE EDGE RESONATES, DOES IT NOT?

This project was one that caused many of the students of the school to walk to the area of trees and then work hours to bring down the number of trees needed to build a room to accommodate all those who would be using the place. Elisha consents to their going and is close to the site where the ax head falls into the river. Interesting he asks, "Where did it fall?"
"Where did this problem begin?"

When the prophet shows Elisha the place, he says looks like a miracle to me! Does it not resemble that which no normal person would see on a daily basis, yet here, all these men in this place would see that which was lost and then was found!

Contrary to the nature of a piece of iron, we can see God move to cause a piece of metal to float?
One thought here is that God saw the man's heart and losing something borrowed presented a problem to the borrower. What if the owner of ax had lost the head off the ax? I do not think it would have happened. The heart of this whole ordeal was to build accommodations for the entire group of students to fit in the place or building , so as a group they could be taught.
"Where did it fall?"
Where was the problem? What occurred to stop this man his work? What needed to be done to keep the work going?  Why could they not use the "old handle" from the ax? Why did Elisha pick out a new one to place in the water, for the metal ax head came to the surface?
My thought is, those who do for the Lord, and perform the work without complaint, but do willingly and invites the man of God, as they did, were open to instruction, even away from the classroom!

No matter what the answers could possibly be, for when there is a man of God around who operates in the power of the Holy Spirit, then the miraculous occurs.  That is how God wants us to live our lives. He desires us to not be caught up in the natural of everything. Everything in the natural can wear out, lose it's edge, and come to nothing. But God, when He has His way, makes a way where there seems to be no way! He desires us to stay in the "spirit realm". He desires us to live in the "super natural". God is not limited to the natural. He created it all!

Jesus showed us this time and again. Like the water into wine, the drachma coin in the mouth of the fish. Again, we see here a powerful man who was the Son of God, having the power and authority to speak and to do.

Matthew 17:24-27............24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" 

25 "Yes, he does," he replied. 

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes-from their own sons or from others?" 

26 "From others," Peter answered.   "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. 27 "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."  NIV

Even in this example, the disciples went fishing. They threw out their line and the first fish they found a four-drachma coin. And the interesting thing of this was that the coin was a four-drachma coin which was more than enough to pay the temple tax!
Jesus gave the directive for the disciples to use their ability of fishing for fish. He did not tell them to go get a degree in something before paying the tax that was needed then at that moment. Although God can give someone a directive to get a degree in something, it will be for the future and long term. This certainly was something for right now, on the spot, this very moment! 

John 2:6-12..........6 Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" 11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. 12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. 

NKJV

I believe these are the days now when all that has been sunk in the mud is going to rise in glory to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Today, I believe the greatest days are those when we see the washing away of the mud, the cleaning away of the world and the greatest experiences in a new, fresh wind of the Holy Spirit.  Our trust is to be in Him who can do the impossible in our lives.
Today, we have the leading of the Holy Spirit to move and to act according to the directions given us.

The point is to be free to move and do as He gives the direction to do it!  People will see finances come from a different place. Buying bread to eat and food to prepare will come from another place. A way of doing things will be made simple and far more useful than we could ever imagine.

We will be told to gather over in that field, that county, that country, and bring back the harvest to give out to those as the Lord directs.

Simple fishermen went and threw out a fishing line and got a fish with a 4-drachma coin in its mouth. We, who serve the Lord, are set for the supernatural. WE ARE SET FOR NEW APPOINTMENTS THAT GOD HAS LINED UP FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SAID YES. HE HAS SET US TO MEET THOSE WHO WILL BE TOUCHED BY GOD IN A WAY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. THIS IS THE CUSP OF THE GREATEST MOVE, AND IT IS A FIRE THAT WILL GROW AND NO MAN CAN PUT IT OUT! TODAY IS THAT DAY THAT DREAMS ARE COMING TO LIFE! TODAY THE WIND OF GOD IS BLOWING..........GOD'S WILL IS COMING ON THE EARTH!
It is not how much you experience, but how far you will be willing to continue to step out for God's glory.

Paul had admonished those he wrote to, to be filled with the Holy Spirit rather than with wine. 

Ephesians 5:18........18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,  NKJV

WE ARE to be filled with the Holy Spirit to accomplish God's plan on the earth.

That ax head represents the natural of this world. It is hard, unyielding, and when not used, can and will rust, lose it's edge, and not good for what was intended for it. It is as the "heart".
Whatever the directive from God it is in His wisdom and power!


 TODAY WE ARE BEING INSTRUCTED ..............to move forward.......out of the past and to move into a future with no hindrances. Yes, there will always be an enemy, and will be in all generations, but God gives us His power. Like Joshua leading those over into the new land, those muddied waters had to part. Whatever the troubles and even death itself cannot overwhelm us. Isaiah 43:2)
Isaiah 43:2...........2. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. NIV

People spend their lives much like the Israelites in trying to make buildings out of nothing but straw.
They can be the slaves to man and the things of man. But trusting God, the water of the Word is made into WINE! The Holy Spirit comes and things change.
These who inherited the Promised Land had to rid it of those giants, those which might have tried to stand against them in the beginning of taking the "new thing" and moving over to "take over" the land. But we saw the "supernatural" when the priests carried the ark of the covenant over the Jordan in flooding waters, and the waters parted when the priests had gotten to the center of the river Jordan.
Nothing can stand against God! All that tries to stand against, will come down, COME TO NOTHING, when His Word is given.

There are things we have to do and trust as we move in the power of God............His hand is not shortened that He cannot save........Isaiah 59:1...................1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: KJV


The man of God is any man who follows closely the teaching of Jesus. He follows closely and hears when God speaks!          2 Timothy 3:16-17...................16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. .NIV

God has placed us as His temple. We are His vessels that will stand in His power and His truth. Our hearts are that which are softened, not the hard, unyielding, but the soft and pliable.
Jesus came to show a new way of doing........and He showed us how.........by the Word and by prayer. He kept His vigil in prayer by night and with God's Word throughout His days!

Today is the day of "takeover"........today is the day we rise in His power and see the miraculous daily. Those who adhere to His word and expect will have the greatest time with the Lord. I am expectant that we are many, and we are those who will say "yes" to His every command. Let's be open to the instruction from the MASTER, whether in a service, or throughout out our day.........He is welcome here..........!

It comes now in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

RIGHT NOW ..........What is in YOUR HEART & What will it BRING TO YOU?

Deuteronomy 31:1-6...............31:1 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them: "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, 'You shall not cross over this Jordan.' 3 "The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said. 4 And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. 5 The LORD will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
NKJV

Know anyone who is 120 years old? I have never met anyone who has lived to be that age. I have seen a few men and women on the news who have made the mark well over 100 years of age and many were in wheel chairs. That is not the way I would like to live my life in the latter years in or from a wheel chair.

Moses knew he was about to die. He could not cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land. In the passage above, he gives encouragement and instruction to those who would go into the new land. He tells them that the LORD your God will pass over before you. He will do to those who stand in the Promised Land to be like Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites. He tells Israel to be strong and of good courage. Do not fear nor be afraid of them for the LORD your God, is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

CONFRONTATION! Interesting that the instruction Moses gives is that the Lord is with us, and the LORD will do to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land. We are told that the LORD will give them over to us, that we may do to them according to every commandment. Sounds like somebody has to have someone close up time with those who we disagree with and need out of the land we are possessing. Is that not right?

Well that is a lot to take in. Okay, the land has kings who "occupy" and we have a God who goes with us. But we are to do to those kings according to every commandment which God has commanded us to do!

Ever try to go into the new land to "occupy" and the "king" who occupies will not go willingly? Yikes! Problem on the horizon!

Deuteronomy 32:45-47................45 Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 and He said to them: "Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe--all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess."  NKJV

AND BY THIS WORD YOU SHALL PROLONG YOUR DAYS IN THE LAND......TO POSSESS!!!

Moses told the people to "set their hearts on all the words which was testified by himself and he commanded that the children of the people were to observe----all the words of this law. (the Word of God) By this word, our days are to be prolonged " in the land we are to possess."
Our days are to be prolonged:

to be unceasing
to be expanded
to be continued

Deuteronomy 6:6-9...............6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. NKJV

Setting that Word on our hearts and our children's heart is mentioned here in Deuteronomy 6.  We are to talk "the Word of God".

1. we do this in sitting in the house

2. walking outside or on our way

3. right before bed, when we are going to lie down to sleep

4. rising up, like at breakfast time

5. a sign on your hand

6. as frontlets, to keep before our eyes

7. written on the doorpost of our house and gates

It appears we need to be active in seeing that Word being spoken all day and into the night!

Reading the Word to our children is paramount. We have the opportunity to read it to our grand-child. She is ready to read it and has the help of some awesome aids today like her Kindle tablet. 

I like the part about sitting in the house. Imagine with the T.V. off,  and talking the Word of God with your children or grand-children!  What if we as adults, talked with our own parents or grand-parents if they are alive today, about the Word of God?

That sitting in the house might be as a family around the dinner table and enjoying some good food from the produce brought in from the store and good food from the Lord, that God-breathed word to fill us with His supernatural power!

 That walking outside or on our way could be driving somewhere or even taking a walk out-of-doors. Right before bed is always a good time to reflect on the goodness of God for that day and find the scripture passages or verses that line up with what we just experienced in seeing God that day in our lives. Reflection of what we are believing for in God always take first place at our house in the evening hours right before bed-time. 
That breakfast one is a serious one when you might send your child or grand-child off to school or vacation Bible school. They need a good breakfast..not just an instant drink mixture in milk.....to break the fast from overnight sleep and then be given some Word of life that will add to them and their day. That sign in the hand to me could be the Bible in your hand in either the actual book Bible or on your I-Pad or I-phone. I also like leaving notes from a sticky note pad on my desk or sometimes on the refrigerator the scripture verse I am believing for at the time. That doorpost and gates is one we have had. We had been given a wall-hanging from Numbers 6 and the blessing:

Numbers 6:24-26...........24 "'"The LORD bless you
and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '  NIV

Some coming out or going in, we see the scripture written for our benefit.

Our days can be those like the people of Israel. Each of us may be moving into some new territory. We may be going to another level in the music industry, or sending a small child off to school for the first time. We may be taking on a new promotion in the workplace that requires different dressing and different kind of schedule. The leaders in the business place may be different than those of our family or previous work place.
We may be leaving a job after many years of work and service for a company or we may be taking over a new ministry, but one thing remains the same. We each have been given the Word of God to know that life comes from it and it alone. Jesus came to set captives from this world and see His kingdom come! Jesus fulfilled the Law and Prophets. 

JESUS WAS THE WORD MANIFESTED! EVEN MORE SO, SHOULD WE NOT CELEBRATE AND DANCE BEFORE THE  KING WHO  WAS, IS, AND IS TO COME!
He is the Word and He backs up His Word every time I speak it, declare it, sing it, announce it, and yell it out! I then see it manifested in my life! (Just take a look at the blog titled "High Risk")

WE stand, believing for a long life in the land promised to us. But we get there by believing, and having a trust that God is for us just as what has been given, written for our benefit, that we hold onto the commands of God. We speak in truth, and deal in truth. We look out for others in love, but we also know God has His plan for us as well. We take that Word and speak. We take that Word and believe, move and take the place we are to stand. And we continue to use that Word till we see it come to pass in our lives.

We may not have children yet, and may not even be married, but we have the future before us. It is one that hold life or death for us. That future is a choice of living for God or dying to the world.  

We take the Word and tread on the "enemy"! We keep that Word morning, noon and night. We keep that Word for ourselves, for our children, grand-children and even for aging parents who may be moving pass the 80 year old mark. We look on in faith in the Word that delivers us to peace!

Wherever we walk today, wherever we stand, we take the Word of God and speak it like never before. We speak and say what the Lord has said about us and we expect to have our days prolonged and live in the land promised to our fathers and to us. Today, let us take up the Word and truly live for God.............looking like Him, ............sounding like Him,............and seeing the supernatural performed in our lives. Amen!

Was spending time with our grand-child over the weekend and one thing I noticed was we could do the Kindle thing and watch one of the Bible stories, with the reading parts or just the action parts. We could talk about it and either laugh or just take a serious moment on what we had just seen, heard and watched before our eyes. After a couple hours of reading some different books together, our grand-daughter wanted to pull up a story line on the Kindle. It was something about these three young ladies turning into mermaids when their feet touched the water. I asked her, "Why would you want to live out someone else's life that is probably not real, when you can take an active part in your own life."  Well, her dad was listening to what I asked her, and he agreed. I had continued to think about that today.  Why should we not want to take that an "active part in our lives" to see that long life that brings many years to us? Why would we not want to participate with God and see His best for us in the land of the living? So again I ask, "What is your life( your heart) right now and what will it bring to you? Will you live long and prosper or will you die suddenly at a young age and never see God's plan He has just for you? What will it bring to you today? Are you believing for long life with a healthy body or are you just expecting the sick one will get you through? Are we believing to be of an influence to other's or are we just wanting to catch that next episode of our favorite show on Tuesday nights?

I do not know about you, but I want to take an "active part" and say, meditate, know and share that Word of God that brings life so I can live long!
A CONFRONTATION WILL COME! Does not matter if it is with your son or daughter's teacher at school in regard to their six week assessment, the report on the medical test the Dr. just took, wanting to sale some property, a person wanting to cancel the contract you have with a company, that yearly job review and you have a new supervisor, or you are up for promotion, but the job is two thousand miles away in Podunck, Nowhere! Yes, confrontation will come. How will we possess that already occupied land?

Father, today we pray in Jesus' name. He was the Word manifested! We know the land YOU have promised to us has kings who "occupy" and we have a God who goes with us. Today help us to do to those kings according to every commandment which God has commanded us to do!

No problem is too big for YOU Father!
We desire to take an "active part" in confessing that powerful Word into our lives so that we have prolonged lives. Today,  like the prophets before us, we speak the words of God. We declare to others the words given to us in the "secret place". We pray for the love walk toward family members, associates at work, for our neighbors and those we pray for as we take possession in the new land YOU have given to us!

In the name of Jesus we withstand the enemy; firm in the faith. Today we thank You that YOU have empowered us through our union with YOU. We draw on that strength from YOU [a strength which Your boundless might provides], Your strength causes us to be steadfast and trustworthy.
 May our walk be dominated by our love for You. Father, we bless and pray for those who persecute us....those who are cruel in their attitude toward us. We bless and do not curse. Therefore our love abounds yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. We approve things that are excellent. We are sincere without offense till the day of Christ. We are filled with the fruits of righteousness.

We ask help in seeing and knowing that gain of the world's treasures (Matt. 6:19-21) will lose the Father's spiritual treasures. And all of this world's treasures are not enough to purchase one's eternal life.

We surrender everything to YOU today. We deny self today so that we can keep our spiritual man growing, and to keep hearing YOU in the Word THAT YOU speak to us.

Thank You for hearing us as we pray.......we choose an active role in YOUR plan for our lives. Amen!

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

Idolatry: Not in My Life!

Have you ever seen a movie on those ancient leaders of Egypt or read in the Bible of those who had idols?
I have even watched those documentaries on other countries that talks of their idolatry, and the camera captures the landscape decorated with the many symbols of idolatry in the form of a "god" or some semblance of a human made over with parts of some creature. The beauty of some countries is most astounding. The camera that takes the video certainly captures the idols in the overgrown brush, the over growth of some plants, and along hillsides with no cover and nothing to hold them in place, and how they still stand without any concern for man.  I am in awe that some of those "things" still stand and have not moved!
In some of those countries, the people have those little flimsy boats to carry them down a dirty river with crocodiles around the size of 20 feet or so and I wonder how many men are lost over the course of just one year who travel those muddy river byways on such equipment, that to me, is not suitable for use on land, much less on a fast, moving river with crocodiles!
The cameraman takes a walk through the jungle, through hanging vines, and then walks into an area of waterfalls, dense foliage and idols. Someone had to have worked many months to create and set into place those huge idols in the recesses that only your feet on a 20 miles hike can take you to, if you so desire. No thank you, I am not fond of snakes 5 times my size! I will sit this one out! YOU go ahead, and send me pics, okay?

Yet, in thinking on ministry and idolatry, one can certainly see where idolatry would come into play. In thinking about it, there is a fine line of serving God and serving the ministry in His name! Not a good place to be for lies begin, and family life suffers and even marriages can have a multitude of problems! Does ministry take the place in our heart where Jesus should be?
Let's take a look at this today!
Psalm 51:1-6...................O loving and kind God, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. 2 Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. 3 For I admit my shameful deed-it haunts me day and night. 4 It is against you and you alone I sinned and did this terrible thing. You saw it all, and your sentence against me is just. 5 But I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 6 You deserve honesty from the heart; yes, utter sincerity and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom.  TLB

A man after God's own heart and yet this man sinned against God. David admits it! Whatever the sin, it is still that keeping of Jesus in the center of how we live today, act in righteousness, and become those who are examples of Jesus in this world.
They ought to call idolatry "the creeper" as it creeps in undetected when we just want to do "something" for the Lord. We want to serve, and do and be a part of the "ministry".
But in reality, as human beings, are we using "the ministry" to fill the people hole in our hearts?  Have we been rejected maybe at birth, or maybe in grade school and feel we have to "surround" ourselves with people? Those who lead are those who must ask themselves if they are doing it because "they are the called" or because " Pastor Sissy called them personally to come and do it! That "doing it" can be that coat of comfort for those who have been broken by rejection, those who feel they have to prove their worth, and be number 1, but in reality, when God calls, He equips and it is "an ease to doing the one thing" God calls you to do! Really no one fills the NUMBER 1 spot, that is for Jesus Himself!

Of late, especially the last few years, you can catch some talk show on the Christian network, and they talk of the "man" and the "ministry" he is doing. It HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH JESUS! They talk about the vastness of the area his ministry is covering and man's efforts but hear no report of how the Holy Spirit gave them the instruction on how to do it!

Any leader must take a look and see if they consider "the ministry" their best object. Is it worshiped? Do they dress up for the "ministry " moment because it is so special to them? YOU KNOW their moment to shine for themselves, is now, and is it glorifying God or man? Do we spend more time shopping for new clothes to show off when we do the "ministry moment, the ten minute prayer at the beginning of the service or even just the hour meeting with "the ministry" team? Do we spend more time reflecting on how good we were in the spotlight, than reflecting on our time with our family or even with God?
Well, no one can teach children like I can? That may be true! But if you are still doing it after 30 years, you may consult God and see what His plan for you is! Why? Because you may be called to teach those in the jails, or in the shelters! YOU may be called to teach your own grand-children or even children who are grown up by now!

I remember reading a teaching by Kenneth E. Hagin. It is in the book of "The Ministry Gifts", page 12 that talks about faithfulness to the call. He talks about the time to wait on God. He talks of the benefits of taking the time to pray, and fast to find that life and ministry. He goes on to tell that he was kneeling in prayer at the altar in the church where he was the pastor. He told the Lord that he had  been waiting on the word from Him to move for 10 years. And the Lord told him, "I have been waiting on you to make up your mind to do what I want you to do."

The Lord goes on to tell him about the first vision of Jesus and when He appeared to him, Kenneth E. Hagin has just entered his 1st phase of ministry! YIKES!
Brother Hagin goes on to say that he had been in ministry for 15 years at that time. He stated that seeking God was the "open door". Seeking God and you move. (it is saying "yes" to God, my words)

 Don't read the Word, don't move! JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE! (my words)

Colossians 3:4............... 4 And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories. TLB
Jesus is our life!  People should see Jesus and not "the next book" we have just written!
The center is to be Jesus and not ministry, or people or starting new prayer groups or  mentoring new disciples or developing leaders. Foremost is Jesus in the center of everything and that includes church! It is not about how many meetings we can see about having in one month!
If the Lord desires to do, say a prayer meeting, then He will have to set it in motion, and give us the details.  But it has to be WRITTEN AND HEARD TO KNOW THAT GOD IS DOING SOMETHING TO BRING SUCH PRAYER GROUP TOGETHER! There is no guessing. You know!

I can relate only my testimonies and those things which I have seen over the years to be a sin crouching at the door.
When our daughter was growing up, we lived in an area where there was not a lot to do. There were no special things like art crafts group to attend with a child. We had to make up our own!
There were no special soccer teams for little ones  or swimming lessons either. When a swimming pool was actually put in, my husband took our daughter down to the pool and taught her how to swim. She was six at the time!
In ministry over the last almost twenty years, I have seen many women and their daughters doing things together in teas and such. I thought it was the most awesome thing to do together. I would actually volunteer to do a tea with 30 other women so there would be some attending each table. Now that was ministry. YOU had to have a china set, so I got one, and you needed someone to assist you, but alas my daughter was helping someone else. So many times I did it alone, or at last minute someone would cancel and I would get the assistant. Praise God for those to help you, because when said tea was over, there was that wiping all the extra remaining food off that china and silverware, And oh so, carefully you had to place each piece back in paper and inside the box for the trip home.
Did I mind it? NO! I even remember my husband coming one time to help me when I had no other person to help. YOU would think that in a church of almost 500 that there would be at least a few women who could help assist. But, alas no!

Then, many changes came to the Women's Ministry, and I was chosen to help ..........called to choose who should do tables and what the settings and centerpieces should look like in regard to season and colors. The pastor had nothing to say about it other than giving us the title of the event!
That was rewarding, in that now I could call on women and talk with them about the event. My list was about 18 women at the time I took that position. That was for a few years, then people starting moving away and the two women who I had meetings with, were now gone. Moving into what was the church's third building was like starting over again. I chose not to help in that area. It seemed more like a pot luck on paper plates! For whatever reasons people leave a church, many are for reasons "like" their best "buds" or "closest friends" were leaving the church and they were going with them! So there were a lot of holes so to speak that were left in "the ministry".

But I had to face something in regard to my wanting to do something with our daughter. I so wanted the opportunity to do the mother-daughter thing with her. I remember wanting to do those things with my mother, but she was always busy and then she was divorced when I was in my early twenties. She had moved to another state to be close to family she had known as a young adult and there she married for the second time. So I have never had that opportunity, but believe for it to come.

They say when God closes a door, another will open! So I turned my focus full on for the jail ministry that I had been active in for a few years.   There were other things or places to fill in getting the word of God out. I knew mine to be beyond the four walls. By choosing jail ministry, I knew God was leading me by His Holy Spirit. Time would prove out that by showing up to pray for every leader, pray for every worship leader and the women who were behind bars, I could be moved to the spot God was orchestrating for my benefit. Yes, God had His hand on this particular ministry and I wanted to be a part. So when so many families were leaving the main church, some places opened up for the jail ministry. They would need a new "leader". But I had to ask myself, " am I doing this for the right reason?" In the previous six to nine months before leader left the ministry, she had called on me to minister the Word or "message" every other month. I was anxious about it, but the Lord had me in preparation many years before that day came. I told her "yes"!
So with the pastoral seeking someone to fill the absent position, our daughter was asked to check on the jail ministry. We saw that she got a temporary badge. She came in and checked it out and she went back to tell said pastorate team, that her mother was best suited to lead, as she had been a part of jail ministry for many years at that point.
So I took the lead, BUT IT WAS GOD WHO GOT THE TEAM TOGETHER. AND NOT JUST A TEAM BUT ALTERNATING TEAMS OF SIX ON EACH. SO WE COULD ROTATE EACH MONTH AND MANY OTHER WOMEN COULD MINISTER TO THOSE INCARCERATED IN THE COUNTY JAIL.

This continued for another few years and spread into the Women's Shelter and a juvenile detention center. ( the juvenile detention center came to a close in ministry as the unit only chose one Bible study for the year from one church! As that church I was attending held it, it could not be moved for another church.)
As the pastor chose to bring EVERYONE BACK BEHIND OR ENCLOSED IN THE FOUR WALLS, I moved to another church to continue the jail ministry and again women came to assist. It was the most awesome thing I have ever seen in my life.

The point is, we must be finding Jesus in the center of all of "it" or is it just about the "doing"? Is it about getting Jesus into the hearts of people or about what I am going to say? Because when I pray and ask the Holy Spirit for His leading, He never lets me down. He always shows up to do what He is to do for those attending the service or chapel!

In time, things do change, we grow and time is ripe for another area of our lives to be revealed and experienced. We must go where the Spirit leads us. We are to do what the Lord teaches us and shows us to do!
Are we doing "ministry" to be "with someone" or "are we doing it for Jesus"? Is it about the Lord or because I like Betty Lou or Sissy Sue?
My first choice is to do ministry with family. My first chance came with my husband in doing a couple of men's jail services and that was years ago.

But I got the opportunity a couple of years ago to minister with our daughter. Yes, it was a Prayer Meeting. Yes, we needed a place for it to be held. Did not think women would want to drive another hour out of the city for prayer, so we had it at our daughter and son-in-law's home.
We ministered in food, not with china, but paper plates and everything matched! We had floral arrangements and sometimes those food arrangements of pineapple and chocolate. We saw the beauty that only comes through God. We experienced seeing women receive the Word and pray boldly for their Father's kingdom to come into their lives.
When moving to the church became an issue, we moved! We still did the same with serving food, water, coffee or hot chocolate. My husband and son-in-law became a part of it as well. They did the recording to get it loaded to youtube. It became a family event that worshiped God!
 My greatest moments was to see my Father God smile and enjoy seeing His children prosper in the Word!
Today, my life has changed again.  I write a blog about the love of God, pray, and expect to see the greatest moves of God in this generation. My expectancy is that what was laid in prayer for almost two years will leave a legacy of the goodness of God in the lives of women who have different walks of life from that of  myself or our daughter and family.
It is my desire to encourage others to keep walking and not to lose heart. We have a place to stand and do for His kingdom, and it comes from being honest before God and say, "Your will be done in my life"!
And may the beauty you see and experience be the fruitful vineyards and paths of justice that come from God alone. May they never be hidden or hard to get to. May they never be off the beaten path, but along the walkway that leads to life and peace in God. May the path be level, the course set, and walk on through to victory.

May you, man or woman be encouraged today, that God is good and He delights in us. He sent His Son for us. May we truly look to the next prayer meeting or Bible study  and see Jesus at the center of all that transpires. May God be glorified forever and ever.   Breathe YOUR life into us Lord, overtake us, and may we release a "fresh breeze" into the body of Christ.    Amen.



You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

Heart Issues

Matthew 9:9-13........................9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him. 10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."   NKJV

Wow! Heart issue going on within the Pharisees! Mercy and not sacrifice was the statement Jesus made when hearing what the Pharisees had spoken to the disciples. He goes on to say, "For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Matthew 12:1-8..................12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" 3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  NKJV

YOU would not have condemned the guiltless.....

Thinking of the Pharisees and their watchful eye on Jesus, have you ever wondered if they had schedules to follow Jesus around in a 24-hour period? You know like Mike and Joe at 6 am to 9 am and then Frank and Fred take 9 am to noon. Just a thought, for they seemed to have those spying out what that "man" was doing at the moment.

Now it states from the above scripture passage that Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. The disciples were hungry and began to eat. Now if you have never gone through a grain field and picked the heads of grain, you have missed out. For it is surely a good treat for anyone needing food in a moment of time.

The Pharisees were quick to point out "something" and it was that being in the grain field was unlawful. They were picking in the field on the Sabbath.

But Jesus reminds them of David and how he got the shewbread for his men to eat as they were without food at the time.

1 Samuel 21:1-6.....................21:1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one is with you?" 2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, 'Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.' And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. 3 Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found." 4 And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women." 5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, "Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was sanctified in the vessel this day." 6 So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.   NKJV

Though a Law prevented the shewbread to be used by anyone else other than the priests, in this emergency of human need, compassion prevailed over the restriction.

In another arena of this complaint, the priests had to work.   

Matthew 12:5....Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?

Can you imagine the thoughts and overwhelming pride these Pharisees held in regard to what they knew the Law to be for they always referred back to the Lawgiver, Moses!

These priest were guiltless of performing their temple worship.

So in regards to the disciples plucking and eating the grain, as they followed Jesus who was leading them. They were doing what was expected and done in a manner of knowing Jesus was the master of the Sabbath.

It is like in this country, we have laws for the highway use. There are restricted areas like neighborhoods that only allow a 25 mph maximum because the amount of children who live and play in that area. Other areas like Interstate Highways have a designation of 60 mph or 70 mph, but other areas that have construction going on, and that speed is cut dramatically in accord with what is being done to roadway. Some areas of construction may have only a 40 mph reduced to a 20 mph in less than 1/4 mile. Again that is for the safety of those workers in that area and for the safety of those driving on the roadway that is under repair or for a whole new restructuring.

Sunday night, a week ago, in Portland, there was a traffic problem with a "Fast and Furious" moment when a group of street racers took over a bridge on Interstate 405. There were several drivers involved and they performed "donuts" and some "burnouts". Yes, it had traffic snarled, blocked and stopped on the Fremont Bridge. Not sure of the amount of time, but I was thinking how many motorists needed to cross that bridge that had an emergency at home or elsewhere they had to get to, but because of a few drivers, many motorists had to stop while those "stunt drivers" performed their stunts. Yikes!

Not a common rule in this country. Am certain those who exhibited their expertise in "donuts" will see some kind of fine or jail time.

Jesus always moved through the crowd. He stopped when He needed to stop but always kept moving to the next person and the next person.

Jesus said, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice"..........I desire all to have a merciful heart......!

 About ministering to others. It is always the heart issue. The heart issue is not only for those who come for prayer, but also for those who minister "to others" in prayer. It always takes the Holy Spirit to lead us through to pray for someone. But like Jesus, we should just speak a word and it is done.

In ministering to others, it is the "heart that leads". It takes those who love others through prayer and giving a needed encouragement to another.

You can certainly see those who have a "heart" for others. Not just on the street in respect to saying hello,but stopping to pray with them there as well! That is a strong heart that loves over all circumstances and situations.

I like what the New American Standard-Updated Edition had of the verse..........Matthew 9:13...................13 "But go and learn what this means: "I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."   NASU

COMPASSION.......JESUS DESIRES FOR US TO HAVE COMPASSION!

Matthew 5: 7...Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. NIV

Matthew 23:23-24...Woe to you, scribes, and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. NKJV

James 3:16-18...For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits; without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. NKJV

In the verse above, that merciful and mercy are the love, that God compassion for others. It is one love, one great compassion that has good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy!
I think of Jesus knowing Judas would betray Him. He knew what was in Judas' heart and yet Jesus never murmured about it to anyone. YOU never READ of anything being mentioned about Judas other than Jesus telling him to do quickly what he was about to do in betraying HIM!

In the blog, "What Language Do You Speak?", I had written our individuality is ours alone but our identity should be in God alone! I knew as I was writing it that it was Holy Ghost inspired and believe that today, that God created us as those individuals with choices, to live for him and to be that part of His family. We can be loud, we can be red, yellow, black or white, we can be short or tall, we can heavy or thin, but our hearts should belong to God. I love to pray, and you may love to run, but we still love God. I love to write about Jesus and you may write songs about Jesus and then sing them to crowds.
We should not want to act like the Pharisees and send out scouts to check on the "man of God" and see if he is following the strict law. Talk about religiosity! no, Jesus came to set captives free.  Someone new shows up at church or the Bible study, they love to pray, but are we allowing them access to us and the other believer's or are we shunning them, and cutting off access to them "not to pray" or "encourage" others?


Mark 9:38-44....................38 Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our side. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. 

42 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- 44 where 

'Their worm does not die,
And the fire is not quenched.'  NKJV

Should we not want to look like the "free" son  of God and be imitators of that which is good and not that which is of evil intent?
It should not make a difference what church one attends or if it is on Saturday or Thursday. When God is in it, others will know!     Acts 5:39........39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God."  NKJV
(Read all of Acts 5) When God is with us, others will know it and have the wisdom to not fight against it. BUT ALAS, you can at times find some who try to stop what God is doing, but to no avail.

 We are not to be the judge, jury and sentence giver of said "crime". We will know others by their fruit. Are they producing fruit that is of righteousness that produces peace or they causing strife? Is the new person praying for others and seeking the other's good?

So what if she prays loud that every person in the next county can hear her pray? So she prays so quiet that only a mouse can hear her speak or give a squeak! So what if "he" only shows up when the service begins with the "sticks" to the drums and leaves when an "Amen" is spoken.  Again God is the JUDGE.
Jesus is the "I AM" in our midst. If I talk about Joe Blow and his " what I think is bad" driving on I-5, that makes me a what? We are to bless and not curse our fellow man! Could not tell you how many times I had to repent living in the Seattle area. Yikes! All that confessing sin, .............but God........."they did this" and "God, did YOU see that"..and they....did and did and did................! That is tiring guys. 
It is best to give it to God. I keep the responsibility of driving safely on the roadway, but I cast the care of it on God! I believe He will perform His Word over my trips to and from said place I need to be. 

Yes, a heart issue.  It is the Holy Spirit that brings to us that which is wrong. If HE SHOWS US SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE, WE ARE TO PRAY AND NOT BRING LIGHT TO IT UNLESS THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS US IN THAT DIRECTION. AGAIN, GOD'S WORD WILL CORRECT US. IT IS UP TO US TO FOLLOW THAT INSTRUCTION!
In following Jesus, we follow that which He has placed for us to do. Not complain about Jennie June or Missy Ann or John, but walk with them, have good thoughts about them, and pray. For God desires us to have compassion for others. Do we have good fruits that are without partiality and without hypocrisy? Do I have a problem with a woman because she is of color or because she is loud? Some of my best friends have been those of color and who were "very" loud. And praise God, they loved Jesus! It starts with us and should end with those knowing we have been with the Lord!

We are not to have a religion here but a lifestyle that exhibits love the way Jesus did and one that still flows through that of His followers!

Father, thank You for Jesus. He is our example of a 360 degree love. He came to set the captives free who followed after the world's set rules implemented to enforce a rule that no man can keep. Father, today we live in a day and time when people want to rule, have their own way because they think they look good. But from Your Word we find that love is the best example to give and to show. In 1 Samuel 16:7...we are told...... for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." NKJV

Scripture tells us in Proverbs 14:33....that
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of fools is made known. NKJV
We pray for understanding!

It is our desire as we pray today that courage and strength would be seen in our lives. It is our desire to have that which will give love at the most inopportune times. For we know love never murmurs, but does something. That God-kind of love speaks and fulfills a job to be done. YOUR kind of love does something without being told to do it. Does it quickly and in most cases is never seen by others. It is this kind of serving others that we saw in Jesus. It is this most excellent way in serving that we desire for it truly is given in an amount that is noticeable and it is given by words of kindness and sometimes by correction for another's good.

Father, we know not what our complete roles are in serving You and our fellow man, but we hold fast to YOUR Word and believe that as we walk into eternity with YOU, we are those who are the merciful extending a compassionate heart whether in praying or giving of time or even finances into another person's life. We understand that we all were created in Your image and we expect to have a part in this end time harvest of having opportunities and many open doors to see Your kingdom come into the lives of many men, women and children. We give You praise for all that You do in our hearts today. Holy Spirit come and have Your way in us. It is in Jesus' holy name, we pray. Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

BUT THIS IS MY LEISURE TIME!

Have you ever been asked to attend something that the pastor, himself, would not be attending? Have you ever been asked to attend something that was miles away, would take some time driving from where you live to get there and take hours out of a Saturday that you rather enjoy as "the leisure time"? About seventeen years ago, the pastor of this church we were attending asked us, the entire church, to attend this seminar being led by John C. Maxwell. Anyone who was in leadership or serving in some department was asked to attend the event. It was to be held down at SeaTac and would require all day. Although Dr. Maxwell was not literally in "the house", he was being televised in by some special means that day! And if you remember those days of the latter 1990's, names like Dr. John C. Maxwell, Andrew Carnegie, or Virginia Arcastle were commonplace. Everyone was teaching about lifting people higher to be the great leader.
I thought of this scripture today when reflecting back to another time and place. And I thought how Jesus in verse ten of John 7 went secretly to the Feast of the Jews.


John 7:1-19................7:1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

6 Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." 9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

10 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, "Where is that man?" 

12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, "He is a good man."

Others replied, "No, he deceives the people." 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such learning without having studied?" 

16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
NIV

Now from the scripture passage, all males were to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. It was man's wisdom thinking that Jesus should go while Jewish people came for the feast and thus gain popularity.

Now back to the day spent with Dr. John C. Maxwell! There were probably some 25 people who showed up. That was only about a 1/4 of the entire church!  Yes, it was that of an early morning arrival. We got there and wanted to see where seating was available. Then as we found seating, the pastor and his wife showed up as well. Some of us looked in awe. Was father duck, checking over the little ducklings? 
Yes, for certain, he came to see who would show up, even though all were told that he would not be attending this event on that Saturday. Well, he took note of how many came and evidently took down the names of those attending. He gave us a smile and off he went to his scheduled appointment with other pastors for that Saturday morning.

In the above scripture passage, Jesus' brothers wanted Jesus to go and draw on the popularity, of that influence He was gaining. But Jesus came to expose sin. He came to bring light to the evil in the world. The "talk" was evident with differing opinions. "Where is that man?" One testifying He was good and another that He was a deceiver.

Jesus moved in secret, not to flaunt Himself, but to remain a person without fanfare. Jesus only moved when His Father revealed it to Him by His Holy Spirit. And Jesus had the wisdom of God to teach and preach in light of the truth, even though He had not attended any rabbinic schools. 

Those who spoke evil, spoke loudly about Him, as they had the rulers on their side.But those who believed Him to be good, kept it more as a quiet speech as not to be heard by others in fear of getting into trouble with the rulers of the day!

What Jesus did was to make known of the doctrine His Father sent Him to preach. He was actually teaching from the Old Testament and gave it precisely as it was written. He did not change anything, but spoke as He was commissioned to teach it!

Jesus had the truest of hearts to obey His Father Who sent Him to do something specific. He did not come to gain the glory, but to bring glory to His Father.

When asked to do something as we were asked to do, are we willing to be obedient to do it? Are we willing to do it when others refuse to do one "simple thing" that may take a leisure day out of our week? Yes, the pastor did comment on those who did not attend. But he also had some great comments on those who did attend. He made it known that he was there for a short time to check the attendance of those who actually did "show up" what they were asked to do by him!

We came away with some great teaching of how to be a leader and be one of "influence". It was a good thing to invest the time to be taught on leadership.

Will the Lord find us doing what He has asked us to do for Him? Will we choose to obey or will we take "the leisure day" at our own expense? Do we just want to show up when the pastor is there so we can hear him say something like, "how great we are for taking a day to do his plan"? 

In any kind of ministry, we should always look at the side of it that Jesus reflected on. It was always about the purpose of fulfilling the Father's plan for salvation. And it had nothing to do with fanfare!
 If someone knows our name, may it always be known that we are one with the Lord and that it is about His glory always and not for ours.

Luke 12:51-58........51 "Do you think I have come to give peace to the earth? No! Rather, strife and division! 52 From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against-or perhaps the other way around. 53 A father will decide one way about me; his son, the other; mother and daughter will disagree; and the decision of an honored mother-in-law will be spurned by her daughter-in-law."

54 Then he turned to the crowd and said, "When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, 'Here comes a shower.' And you are right.

55 "When the south wind blows you say, 'Today will be a scorcher.' And it is. 56 Hypocrites! You interpret the sky well enough, but you refuse to notice the warnings all around you about the crisis ahead. 57 Why do you refuse to see for yourselves what is right?

58 "If you meet your accuser on the way to court, try to settle the matter before it reaches the judge, lest he sentence you to jail; 59 for if that happens, you won't be free again until the last penny is paid in full."     TLB

There will always be those who complain, and bring division. Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace to the earth. The peace He brought was that who heeds the Word of God and obeys it. They are those who live their lives to obey instructions.  There were those who listened to Him and were in awe of the wisdom of which He spoke and still others were breathing out cruelty and lies as they looked to those religious leaders to circumvent Him and keep Him from doing those things He did. He only obeyed the Father and moved as the Holy Spirit caused Him to move. Jesus was the faithful servant who did what the Father asked Him to do. He went when He needed and He taught when He should. If we have someone over us in leadership, say the church, do we follow their instruction?
Do our lives reflect that in anyway?

Jesus had the wisdom of God to make the decisions He needed as He made His way to the Cross. He was going to walk, not in fear, but knowing all that He had to speak and do was that which was ordered by God His Father.  Whatever the controversy or debate, Jesus remained faithful to follow His Father's instruction! Jesus was always "ready" to do what the Father asked Him to do! When Jesus returns for His Bride, will He find us doing as much?

Father, it is in Jesus' name we pray today. We pray to be obedient like Jesus to obey without expecting all the fanfare. We desire to be the image of Jesus, and be that person who testifies of the Word of God and of His power in our lives. May we be commissioned like Jesus to deliver the message.

Father, today we pray to be delivered from our enemies, O God. Defend us from those who rise up to do us harm. (Psalm 59:1) Fight against those who fight against us (Psalm 35:1). In YOU, O’LORD, we put our trust. Let us never be put to shame (Psalm 71:1). If you are for us, then who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

We ask as the Word reveals to be preserved from the enemy, hide us from secret counsel of the wicked. Pull us out of any net which has been laid for us. Keep us safe from the evil of gossiping mouths. Where there has been ill spoken of us, touch the lips of those who speak it with YOUR refining fire. Let those involved be revealed. Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion who seek to destroy our lives; let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish us evil (Psalm 40:14). We commit our way today unto YOU, and we know that YOU will bring to pass what we believe for to pass.

Our desire is to have total trust in You and not be afraid of what man can do to us (Psalm 56:11) for YOU have said whoever believes in YOU will not be put to shame (Romans 10:11). Lead and guide us, and be our mighty fortress and hiding place. We choose today to delight ourselves in You and it is YOU Who will give us those righteous desires of our hearts. May our light so shine before men that they see our good works and glorify YOU Lord ( Matthew 5:16 ) Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV