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 

Delight and Pleasant Brings Life!

In earlier blogs I have written about the beauty of grace. Today I add another writing on the importance grace is to our lives.
Acts 4:32-37......
32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. 36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

NKJV

2 Peter 1:2-4..........  2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.   NKJV

Escaping the world is a good thing AND according to this it looks like we are to partake of the divine nature through all the precious promises given to us by God Himself.

If we sound like the world, does that bring any real change for good to anyone? If I just spend time telling you of my day and how I am doing my day, how does that help you or anyone? 

But what if I am filled with the Holy Spirit, speak as I am directed by the Holy Spirit, to declare what God has done for me, and give you hope for your outcome of good in whatever situation or problem you face or see on the horizon, then you have been given that which is of a delight, pleasant, and brings life to you as it did to those who followed, not only David, BUT JESUS AS WELL! TESTIMONIES ARE GOD'S IDEA!

1 Thessalonians 5:5-24.................11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 

12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 

19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil. 

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. NIV

So how are we looking in regard to the scripture above? Do we look good and sound good? Does everything go back to God and to His glory or is it about how good I am and how good I am doing?

In praying for others, do we operate in the love that was displayed at the cross at Calvary? Do we exemplify the truth of love that was displayed? 

Verse 12..........live in peace with others.......that means husbands, and with our children as well.

Verse 13..........holding them who are over us, those in ministry, the work place, or again the husband. Do we highly esteem our husband?  Do our words keep us in the peace of God, or we doing something other like King Saul did and cause tyranny in every direction?

Verse 16..........be joyful always. It says joyful ...........even when we have something we do not like to do, it is best to keep a cheerful heart. For when we smile, we can brighten other people's faces as well!

Verse 17..........pray continually. Are WE praying continually for people, those God has caused to surround us on every side? IT IS IN HIM, WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING.

Verse 18..........give thanks in all circumstances. It says to give thanks in all circumstances NOT FOR ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. So many times, people are giving thanks for the disease they have in their body. We do not lie about the disease and say it is not there if it does exist, BUT WE DO DENY IT'S RIGHT TO EXIST ANYWHERE IN OUR BODIES!

Verse 19.........pray to Not put out the Holy Spirit's fire ever and never treat prophecies with contempt.

The Holy Spirit enlightens us to the ways AND THOUGHTS OF GOD ......TO God's workings in His kingdom. He gives us details on what is on our pathway and it would not be good to douse the fire out with any carnal lusts.

Any teachings and preaching of the word is that which we are given as to prophecies. We are to not despise those teachings, but value the Word of God. It is His Word that is given by the Holy Spirit to increase our knowledge and grace.

Verse 21............hold on to good. Hold onto the good Word of God and let loose that which binds you to the world!

Verse 22.. ........avoid every kind of evil.........We have to remember people are watching us. We do not want to lead weak people back into the world if they just came out. What testimony could you give about how God has kept you from the world?

 Verse 23..........May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 

Sanctified to do God's will for our lives. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8...............3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. NIV

God is faithful and He will do it!

It takes God's Grace to attract others to Him through us! How are we doing in this one thing? Are we giving a testimony of life or are we just whining how unfair life is to us? What do we expect from God as He has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness?

Father, thank You for grace. for we certainly see the advantage grace has for our lives. We give thanks for this attractiveness to others and that we can draw others to YOU always through this divine favor. We also understand that is by having a holy life before YOU. In Jesus' name, we pray to be those who will humble ourselves to be holy as YOU are holy. We seek to have the manifestation of the grace of God in our lives. For any Lord who have the favor to minister to others either through the pulpit, within homes, or on the street, we thank YOU for the light of YOUR graciousness toward us. We pray to not be those who would blow off an opportunity to give a testimony of YOUR goodness to us in the land of the living. We pray together for a unity with YOU and for truth of Your love that when we speak, people will see what is in our hearts. May people see YOUR word that is unfailing, dependable, and absolute. We pray that every testimony given will be with fire of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Grace. We pray also to be those who bring glory to YOU Lord. We are set apart for Your purpose and plan. We are to be different than that of the world. It is our desire today to live, act and think according to how YOUR Word directs us to live, act and think. May our love be that people will know as God's love that is merciful and always forgiving. May we keep our eyes on YOU, and not enter the path of the wicked and in the way of evil. FOR we do not want to eat the bread of wickedness and drink of the wine of violence. We believe our path of the just is like the shining of the sun that shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. We give thanks for the Spirit of Grace, our comforter, our friend, and we loose Him now into our lives and every area we step into today. Have YOUR way Holy Spirit and we will speak boldly the things God has done for us as our testimony of faith. Amen.

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