Don't Live Like a Refugee

Voice of Prayer: Storms come, but do not be defined by them.

Was thinking of this title for about two weeks. I then remembered the lyrics of an "old" Tom Petty song that was done some decades ago, and asked the Lord what I should write about.

Now from that song, he mentions being burned by other lovers and in respect, the world can provide many lover's, but to whom will we trust our hearts to?
Being held for a ransom, literally tied up into something of the world is a "really bad place" to be. Yet there are many who are not saved today. They have not turned to hear His voice, the Lord of glory, but have continued to walk and hold onto abandonment, brokenness and pain.

Refugee: one who flees for safety, either from war, forced out by hurricanes and tornadoes.
The Collins Dictionary gives this meaning: REFUGEES are people who have been forced to leave their homes or their country, either because there is war, because of political or religious beliefs or because of natural disasters.

Bad things can occur. We live an world with an evil ruler (satan), yet our hearts are to be set on Jesus Christ the Lord of glory. Understanding that He is to leads us, yet I wonder how many are still placed in harm's way. More bad can come upon the world when sin is prevailing. 

Scripture tells us in Matthew 5:44-45..."love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes the sun rise on the evil and o the good; and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

We may not want to think about that sin thing! But when a nation turns from the things God they move into harm's way.  I remember this family who moved out of harm's way in the Texas area. They moved many miles due north of them to be doing "what the Lord asked them to do". 
So today they are high and yes dry. They have their home and safety as well.

But even if you are in the as we say "bad zone", the Lord has a way out. Being Christian should not be one who just functions within a "church building". They should not to consider that they are cutting edge when they remain closed up like Jericho behind closed doors. (The difference, the world is going to get them, instead the Lord has come  live within us and show us to take the land for His own glory.) If God is truly in us and with us we should be taking the land for His glory.

Recently I had written on standing like Esther. We should stand in the face of any real situation that can kill, yet when we know God is with us, we stand victoriously just like Esther and she did it through prayer. In Scripture we find others as well who took the "hard " road if you will allow it. They took what is known as a non-antagonistic stance toward the world. In Daniel and Joseph, we saw relationship precedes any ministry.
You cannot lead anyone you cannot influence. If we are cut-outs that just fit within the building...then we will be of no value where it counts. It is a real service to speak prophetically to your congregation but what about speaking that in the marketplace?

There has been many violent storms come through the coast lands as well as many fires inland of this great country. Yet are we speaking of God 's goodness and are we going into all the world or is is just about "that" Saturday night service or Sunday morning service.

In Dr. Bernard's Greek translations he introduced three such words for "world".
One is found in Matthew 13:22. Within this speaking of Jesus, "the cares of this world (aion) refers us to the period of time, to a generation that is in human history.

A second one is found Matthew 24:14. Again in Jesus' speaking, it is, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world (oikuomene) as a witness to all the nations." Oikuomene means land, territories and geographical nations.

Then Dr. Bernard gave alos a third meaning for world that is found in Mark 16:15. Again within Jesus' speaking,  "Go into all the world (kosmos) and preach the gospel to every creature." This use of kosmos by Christ is very interesting indeed.  Within this meaning we find it means to penetrate every social order, arrangement or culture—the way human society is organized. Yes, we are to penetrate the culture with God's word.

Have had many a talk with my husband and son-on-law as well about how to penetrate the culture as it is. If you have been in church for any length of time you will find it is divided into what is known as the the society in seven pillars.

They are : (1) religion, (2) family, (3) business, (4) education, (5) government, (6) arts, and (7) media. The latter five of business, education, government, arts and media make up what is called the "marketplace."

In understanding we are given the command to "go", then we also understand that Jesus gave us that to "preach" but also to engage.

(In a recent teaching from Life Giving Wells, the Lord gave me the teaching for "God Devised Glorification". Within that teaching we are to engage, not remain within "four walls".

Whether you have been abused by a hurricane, hit by a fast moving tornado or seen raging fires within your community, state or country, still the mandate still holds. We are to engage and in that point to engage that social order within any territory and yes the marketplace we must prove to be the relevant.

I have seen people in the last ten years to stop their teachings and pull up couches to just "chat it up" about some distant memory of God from their youth or early years of ministry but mention nothing of His majesty and glory that prevails when we come on a bent knee to pray in Jesus' name and to live like He purposed: not as a refugee from the area of 'hard knocks', volatile situations but to live for His glory in His peace and His victory. AND that is for today, to live for Him, and expect Him to prevail for us.

There are many people misplaced, and some without anything much to return to but ashes. Do not allow the devil to tell you are finished! Do not allow him to lie to you! It is not over! Get up, dust off and heed God!


And for those who have been through it already, what about our taking part in prayer for those affected, and what about some support from our check-book for those affected, and what about food from our own pantry to support another,  and from the prayer room of our house? 
No we cannot be in all places like God, but when we pray, we live outside of the box. When we pray we seek the face of God and see things change for the glory of God and for the safety of His people things happen, the environment is changed and life appears again.

Living out the Pharisaical route should not be considered among us. 

I remember reading once of Pastor Kong Hee wrote and preached that people of the church were not to live like they are carving out a Christian ghetto for themselves. He wrote they who do live that way, live in legalism and continue to make man-made rules. He said in that environment, members of the Christian faith would be taught to see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. 

Yes, each one of them within that congregation would remain unexposed to the world around them and remain also very innocent to those things as he related.

Ours is to live a life unhindered. If we truly live within Jesus's teachings, adhere to that truth only and do as He does we would be outside of the walls more often. God truly wants to keep us safe and if we obey Him, then we should be found with Him in truth, love, peace, holding onto faith that we are purposed to live for Him. Whatever the occurrence in your life, yet God is alive and He hears us when we really seek Him in prayer.

We are not to live as "refugees". We are to live for God to see His glory come and fill this earth, not just within four-walls of a church building. Today, I pray that you would know when God is speaking. And it will not be from the lazy boy recliner of life. We must be immersed in Him, His word, and be those who will pray those truths out. May the Father of Light reveal to you what is on your pathway, and may you heed those detours and obey to move ahead when the going is clear, yet remember He said I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake you. Where ever you may be at this moment and whatever condition, obey the Lord's leading and go in His peace. Live life to the full, and fear not. Remember, " seek first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  ( Luke 12:31-32) Amen.

New teaching at: Voice of Prayer  

Greater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciSWjqC6fWQ

You can also visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer 

for more teaching at:  http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

New teaching at: Life Giving Wells

God Devised Glorification

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw-ubNvAOdY&t=2s

Also visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching:

http://bit.ly/2wgu1kw

Standing as Esther

Allow prayer and your relationship with God move you in position!

We all affect other people's lives. No matter where you go you will at some point affect another person. You can see it when people are texting and not paying attention to their driving. You can see it when there is road rage on the highway. Have you seen it yet? If not, you will if you spend anytime driving back and forth to the workplace or the grocery market.

IN 1 Samuel we find something in Saul that he did not obey the instructions given him.
1 Samuel 13:8 Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9 So Saul said, "Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me." And he offered the burnt offering. 10 Then it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the brunt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.
11 And Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 "then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.' Therefore I felt compelled and offered a burnt offering." 13 And Samuel said to Saul, "YOU have done foolishly. "You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The  LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept wht the LORD commanded you."15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, about six-hundred men.

Saul sits on the outskirts  of Gibeah. There with him was 600 men. Out of control by not obeying God, Saul watches. He knows not where his son Jonathan is at. Ahijah the  great-grandson of Eli the former prophet in Shiloh who had seen Samuel come in to serve the LORD at 2 years of age had fallen from the graces of God and not obeyed either. So all of Eli's line was rejected by God. The Two men, Jonathan and his armor bearer go in against the Philistines. And God helps them!
but Saul has continuing wars and within 1 Samuel 14:47 he fights the Amalekites. In 1 Samuel 15:7 Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8  He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 but Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

By verse 10 word has come to Samuel the prophet that God has rejected Saul. Samuel the prophet sets out to meet with Saul but when he arrives he finds "Saul went to Carmel, and indeed he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by and gone down to Gilgal.

In his defiant manner, he stroked his ego by building a monument for himself. He was making his own rules to live by....and calling it the LORD's.
Samuel finally has conversation with Saul! 1 Samuel 15:13 Then Samuel went to Saul and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD." 14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating fot he sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" 15 And Saul said, "they have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed." 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet!" And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak on". 17 So Samuel said, "when you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?" 18 "Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' 19 "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil and do evil in the sight of the LORD?" 20 And Saul said to Samuel, "
but I have obedyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

Then Saul again speaks: 21 "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the tings which should have been utterly destroyed to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.

Yes, twice Saul has regarded God as Samuel's God and not as his God.  And any religious activity has no value at all! Continuing on in this passage Saul shows his true nature or colors you might say. We recall he blamed the people in verse 15. He desires to be honored but has done everything according to his own plan. He desires people to look to him but has no intent to repent of his total error against God.
In verse 32 Samuel says, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me." So Agag come to him cautiously. and Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." 33 But Sameul said, "As your sword has women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samule hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
Samuel returned to Ramah and Saul went to his house. Samuel went no more to see Saul.

Then jumping to the days of Esther.  We read of Esther and how Haman has appeared in the lives of the Jewish people because Saul did not obey God and rid the land of the Amalekites.

Esther 2 :8-17   NKJV   8 So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s place, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. 9 Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women. 10 Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it. 11 And every day Mordecai paced in front on the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her. 12 Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparations apportioned; six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. 13 Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name. 15 Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. 16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

As Queen, Esther finds herself in an environment far from where she was brought up. What ultimately looked like another face in the crowd proved to be a lot more. God was with her!

BUT within this new environment she had to heed new instructions for those in royalty and still remember what "royalty" she truly belongs to!

Favor surely came to her, but she had to follow instructions, and obey every command whether she liked it or not. Sometimes people think they know better maybe by their age or even their schooling. But it must have been Esther’s upbringing in the Lord God that brought her to the place she was meant to stand. We only looked at the first part of the walk Esther took toward being Queen. Her greatest obstacle still lay before her, yet she had made it through the first hallmark of being favored by God.

Then in comes Haman, yes descendant of King Agag. Yes, the king Agag had a pregnant wife who managed to get away from Saul and delivered a child. And the hate had continued against the Jewish people. All the while the king Ahasuerus planned to go to battle, another battle was brewing within Haman against the Jews. Haman continued to apply his subtle ways and thoughts into the king every chance he got and when chosen by the King Ahasuerus to be left in charge when the "king" was away at war appeared to bring more threats and a heavy arm against the nation. (Esther 5:11)
The plot is heard by Mordecai and he gets word to his niece Esther who is within the palace. (Esther 2:19-3: 1-15)
Led into this position Esther sets to pray and fast for the coming event. For the showdown would become evident as the days would reveal Haman's plot, not only by the letters sent out but by the gallows being built. (Esther 5:13-14)

But what Haman had planned for the Jews, God turned it around. Haman was hung on the gallows he had built. (Esther 7:9-10)
I believe this to be a "prophetic" word for those called to stand as Esther in these last days however long they may be. Being led into position, you are led into provision and protection. Seek the welfare of God's people when you find yourself standing in those positions to speak.
Understand what was allowed either before your birth or soon after, you will have stand against!
It is paramount to stay close to God and to hear His every instruction in your days ahead.

It will be in your devotion to God that He will propel you into the greatest days in the moments of history that will unfold. Remain firm, remain diligent in your worship to Him..........this is not about any "religious rules" and will not abide in opinions of you or others. It will always bring praise and glory to God that you stand in Him and reveal His purpose to a world needing Jesus! YOU WILL BE MARKED AS THE ONE SPEAKING PEACE AND SEEKING THE GOOD OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOD'S!
GO now and obey the Lord's guidance and instructions. Amen!



Notice: 

New teaching at: Voice of Prayer  

The Manifest Presence of Jesus: Touching Jesus is Touching Our Furure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN0CsY-Md1o

You can also visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer 

for more teaching at:  http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

New teaching at: Life Giving Wells

Being Wise is Not Human Self-Rule

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He-mHUvJMPo&t=2s

Also visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching:

http://bit.ly/2wgu1kw