MUDDY BOOTS??

Mark 1:35-39
35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

36 Simon and his companions searched for Him;

37 they found Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."

38 He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for."

39 And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.
NASU


In the early morning hours, while still dark outside, Jesus got up........left the warm bed and maybe that comfortable chair...... to go to a secluded place AND PRAY!

WE ARE TOLD, Simon and companions searched for Him. And yes, they found Him........and told Him how others were looking for Him. But Jesus said, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for."

And He went. He went into synagogues all throughout Galilee. He was preaching and casting out demons.

Jesus was the devoted! He was devoted to His Father and to the call!

Devotion: being faithful and loyal......surrender to being taught, and find trust in .......as in maturing in the things of God, being the consistent, and expecting to grow in faith

Colossians 2:6-8

6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 

7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. 

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.   NASU

Yes, that tradition of men is Muddy Water and can bring on our walk in Muddy Boots!
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world ......rather than according to Christ.

Prayer was certainly foremost in Jesus' day to day life. We can find Him coming down the mountain or going up to the quiet place to pray. Sometimes we saw Him go in the evening and still pray in the morning. He was devoted to speaking with His Father. He needed to know some things as well as we need to know some things concerning the day and hour we live in.

Jesus took the opportunities to correct when correction was needed. He no doubt asked questions as the Scribes and Pharisees asked Him questions. As we see in scripture below; we see Jesus talk with the disciples about "not one stone here will be left on another. every one will be thrown down."

 In all that, Jesus warned of a coming day where the future for Israel would be far from bright and rosy. All their security would be gone. He gave them a time-line of a span of some forty years......and what the outcome would be.

Mark 13:1-8
13:1 As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"

2 "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"

5 Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.    NIV

The prophet was speaking, and He was speaking what the Father had shown Him by the Holy Spirit. Those that feel that they are.......... the separated, those greater than any other, whether in nations or even in those churches, will and can see what can happen when faith is put into man and nation and not into God and His Word.

We may be able to feed the nations, but where is our true devotion? Where is our heart really? Is it found in God and with God or is in "how great we are" and see I fed another nation this week.   Just because this nation was found on biblical truths, does not mean we are the secure. This nation has surely moved away from God and from His plan. But even a few could pray and keep seeking........a few could ........keep burning that midnight oil and see God come through for a nation who have come to the point of forgetting about Him.

Revelation 3:7-13

These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": 8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." '      NKJV

Do we know without a doubt, He is with us, walking with us, or have we muddied our marching boots into man's religion and attending services that only serve man? Surely church is boring if we just do the same "ole thing" and expect to be entertained all the time.

In praying the last few weeks over the situations going on in this nation, I always think of the "Emperor's New Clothes". And I thought how everyone was in agreement about the Emperor and the deception which had taken place, yet no one wanted to speak up, but only the child.

I remember my mother reading the book to me: "The Emperor's New Clothes". It was a short story written by Hans Christian Andersen. Of course, it was the tale of an emperor needing a new suit of clothes. Well, the two weavers had promised that this kind was invisible to those who were the unfit for their position. Remember those weavers worked with nothing on their looms.  The "old minister" was sent to check how the weavers were doing. But alas, he saw nothing. Of course, he thought himself as either the stupid or one who was unfit for the position he held. And of course, all the folks agreed with the deceitful weavers that the new clothes were of beautiful pattern and colors. Although this Emperor paraded before the subjects naked, no one says a thing. It was the young child who cries out......."But he isn't wearing anything at all!" And of course, the Emperor paraded on, even though there was really no train to carry from behind the naked man!

How is God seeing us? Are we the clothed, with the breastplate of righteous of God?
Or are we those in His eyes which are the miserable, blind and naked".........yikes!

God desires the relationship ........it is in His love and by His grace. Jesus was not the relaxed in the short while He was here on earth.  He certainly went where He needed to go and He went there in prayer. He went having the relationship to see truth, and speak against any deceptions in the land at the time. If we are the body of Christ, now is not the time to relax............let down our hair and party like there is no tomorrow.  Certainly the Jew's of Jesus' day felt secure. They kept eating and drinking and having merriment. But within some forty years Rome had reduced Jerusalem to that pile of rubble where Jesus said that not one stone would remain on another. Jesus witnessed to His disciples the importance of  spending time with God. He spoke with love, peace and words that were to correct a nation that was quickly moving away from God. So too, our relationship should be one where we truly know the will of God and that comes from a close, daily fellowship. We too, can know the mind and will of God when we place our faith and trust in the one who came to set us free from the bondage of slavery. Truly God is for us, and He delights to give us those righteous desires. They come when we truly trust, truly believe and doubt not, that Jesus is the Son of God. Amen.

2 Timothy 3:13-17
13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.  NKJV


Hebrews 11:32-39
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.     NIV

May our names too, be found in the halls of Faith! May we leave traditions of men behind, and be the devoted like Jesus, find our place and believe by faith that we will take hold of the future God has purposed for us..........."something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Amen.

Now faith is the assurance ( the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
For by [faith----trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report.

Father, thank You .....because You had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [those heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we join them]. Thank You for Jesus who is the greatest example of the faithful to stand against tradition....those things created by man..........and boldly speak Your Words of spirit and truth. We pray to be those willingly submitted to time of prayer........in devotion time with You to hear those truths we need to face all of our tomorrows. May we be found doing that faithful walk, a communing with You daily and hear You speak what we really need to know before Christ's return to earth. We know time is so short!  We pray for those around the world to pick that devotion time with God.........to find peace in the shelter of the Almighty and please YOU our Father as we do the work of the ministry. O merciful Father (God), help us not exchange the truth of God for a lie, and worship and serve the created things rather than You, our Creator.......who is forever praised. (Romans 1:25) It is in Jesus' name we pray and believe, and trust. Amen.

Continue our Faith Series: Earthly Good and Heaven Bound, Too!


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